Stumbling Home
by AdaLovely
Summary: Sometimes we stumble upon exactly what we need when we least expect it. Seeking out a moment of respite from holiday loneliness, two strangers may find a bit of home and hope in a crowded local pub. Rated M for language and lemons.
1. Chapter 1

**BPOV**

I sank down onto the barstool with a heavy sigh. Pulling my phone out of my pocket I frowned down at the display. Forty-five minutes-I'd only made it forty-five minutes before offering up a lame excuse and escaping. And now here I was, hiding in a dark corner of the bar wondering how long I could stay before anyone started to worry. Pathetic really. I shrugged out of my coat, grabbed my stuff from my bag, and started organizing my books on the bar in front of me. I might as well get some work done while I was being a loser coward.

"Hey Swan!" I heard from the other end of the bar, "I didn't know you were back in town."

I tried to keep my expression neutral as I looked up at the overly friendly bartender approaching me. "Hey Newton. I just got back today." Ugh. I was pretty sure I was unsuccessful in my efforts to keep the annoyance out of my voice. But Mike didn't seem to notice, his face was eager as ever.

"Lookin' good 'Little Swan.'" His tongue slid across his lower lip as he unabashedly ogled my chest. Gross! "Can I get you a drink or do you want to look at a menu?" He was still eyeing my tits. What a tool.

I shook my head and waved him off as he tried to hand me a menu. "Uh, I'll just have whatever IPA you have on tap and the mushroom bacon burger medium rare, please." I knew it was futile to try, but I made every effort to keep the interaction as brief as possible.

"Sure thing!" God, he was eager. "How long are you in town for? Maybe we can hang out," he said with a confident smirk. Why couldn't this guy take a hint? I'd stopped trying to spare his feelings a few years ago. Early on I'd stupidly thought he was a nice guy and he would get over his little crush on me if I didn't encourage him. It took me a while to figure out his interest was purely superficial. Before that I'd always felt sorry for him. He really just wanted to get into my pants and my lack of interest only seemed to make him more persistent. So it had become increasingly difficult to be civil to him. Plus, I fucking hated men who played the "nice guy" angle. Manipulative, entitled douches - the lot of them.

"Um…yeah, maybe. I'm around for about a week." I answered as vaguely as possible.

"Cool. I'll go put your order in." He started backing away from me, "I'm really glad I ran into you!"

"Oh and Mike," I called before he could turn away.

"Hmmm?"

"You didn't see me here tonight, okay?"

He looked back at me in confusion.

"What? Why?"

"Just, I'm not here, ok? Don't tell anyone you saw me here. Especially not my family, okay?"

Understanding lit in his eyes, "Oh, I'm keeping your secrets for you now, am I Swan?" His smug expression was unbearable as he started to stride back toward me. "What are you gonna do for me in return?"

Ick, now he was trying to coerce his way into my pants? WTF?! My expression must have turned deadly because Mike paled in response. "Seriously, Newton? I will chronical all of your failed attempts at seduction over the last five years in great, humiliating detail and post it on tumblr for _all_ of your friends to see. Including your little desperate episode at First beach senior year," I watched with some satisfaction as he swallowed and paled further, "You really want to push this? Just put my order in and leave me the fuck alone. I'm really not in the mood for this shit tonight."

I didn't wait for a response. I just looked down at my well-worn notebook and started back into my work. I was pretty sure I heard him mutter "crazy bitch" under his breath, but I really couldn't be bothered responding. Maybe he'd leave me alone for good - doubtful though; he's never been the brightest bulb.

I heard someone chuckling quietly next to me. I turned my head to find a man I hadn't noticed before sitting to my right. I would have been embarrassed if I wasn't still so pissed at Mike.  
"Something funny?" I questioned coolly. My residual anger sharpening my tone.

He looked at me fully now. His green eyes crinkling at the edges as he continued to laugh. My irritated expression seemed to smother his laughter which settled down into a lopsided grin. "Sorry, sorry. That just…really wasn't how I was expecting that interaction to end."

"Well, I'm so glad my discomfort and annoyance are so entertaining to you." I snapped and instantly regretted it.

I closed my eyes tightly and took a couple of calming breaths before continuing. "Look, I'm sorry. Contrary to recent evidence, I'm not usually a heinous bitch."

I looked over and was relieved to see him still chuckling. "It's okay," he said after sipping his beer. "That wasn't really the impression I got. Mike seems to be pretty persistent from what I've observed. It was fun watching someone cut his game down so efficiently. Sadly, I don't think it happens much around here."

I stared at him trying to figure him out a bit. He was handsome, definitely a bit older than me, but strikingly attractive none the less. I don't really do the whole picking up guys in bars thing ever (been there-done that. So not for me.) For some reason the green eyes before me held me captive; I couldn't seem to pull my eyes away.

I was still caught in his gaze when I heard one of my favorite people exclaim, "Hey Sweetie! I didn't know you were in town already!" I looked up to see an excited Angela placing a beer in front of me on the bar.

"Hi Ange! It's so good to see you!" I stood up on the rungs of the stool and gave my friend an awkward hug over the bar. "What? Mike was too afraid to bring this himself? Wuss!"

Ange laughed as she pulled away, "Yeah he suddenly needed to take a break. What did you do to him? He looked like he was gonna puke when he headed out back."

"Just a little blackmail, that's all," I said with a smug grin. Angela raised an eyebrow in question.

"Senior year. First Beach." I answered her unspoken question. The snort of laughter that erupted from her had me laughing with her instantly. She was leaning her elbow on the bar doubled over laughing. Her other hand rubbing her round belly.

"Oh my God! Look at you Ange! You look amazing!" I said once I'd calmed my hysterics a bit. "When are you due? February?" I couldn't believe Ange was going to be a mom. She was truly glowing, happiness seemed to beam out of her.

"Yup. February 10th." She smiled contentedly, "I can't wait. Baby Chaney is already huge! I can't believe he's going to keep growing for another month and a half before he gets here! How is it possible for a man of such small stature to impregnate me with such a giant!"

"Well are you sure it's hi-" I started, but was interrupted by a napkin in the face.

"Shut it Swan! Don't you dare finish that sentence!" she said in mock anger. It was so much fun to mess with Ange. She was so easy to set off.

"What! I was just going to say-"

"I know exactly what you were going to say and you need to be careful of the rumors you start in this town. You've been away too long. You don't remember what the small town gossip mill is like."

"Sorry, sorry. It's been three years. I forgot how small Forks is and how easy it is to start shit here."

"Alright smart-girl. I've gotta get back to work. Are you going to be here a while?" I just nodded as I sipped my beer. "Great. I'll be by in a bit with your dinner. And don't worry, I won't let Mike anywhere near it." She winked at me as she walked away. Her eyes lit with curiosity and darted to my right briefly as she left.

Huh. I followed her gaze and found the man seated next to me staring intently. My eyebrow raised in question.

He seemed to suddenly become aware of himself and his mouth pulled up into a crooked grin. "Hi, I'm Edward Cullen." He said, leaning toward me a bit with his hand extended.

"Bella Swan." I said taking his hand in mine. His warm, calloused hand enveloped my own. I wanted to ignore the strange energy I felt when we touched, but I saw in his eyes that he felt it too. I pulled my hand away, quickly snagging up my beer and taking a rather large gulp. I wasn't sure what else to say to this gorgeous man next to me, but he had me flustered with just a handshake.

I was just about to turn back to my work when he said, "So where do you live when you're not visiting the soggy town of Forks?"

"Um, Cambridge."

"Massachusetts or England?"

"Massachusetts."

"Oh, what do you do there? Are you in school?" he pointed down to the books scattered on the bar in front of me.

"Uh yeah. I'm working on my doctorate. I have about a year and a half left if things go well." Why was I telling him all this? I hate talking about myself with strangers. I make it a point to avoid this kind of getting to know you crap whenever possible. It's one of the many reasons I don't date.

"That's cool. What school are you at? My sister lives out there. She's at Harvard." There was a soft pride that crept into his voice when he spoke of his sister. I couldn't help the small smile that spread on my face in response.

"I'm just down the street at M.I.T."

"Wow. Smart girl indeed." He said quietly. "What are you studying there?"

"Alright I think that must be twenty questions at least. I think it's my turn." I was done talking about myself. I really didn't want to sit around and watch this guy pretend to be interested in my work. "How long have you lived here? I don't think I've ever seen you around town before. Or are you just visiting too?"

"Ok. Fair enough." He laughed. "I've lived here for seven years."

"Hmm. And what do you do here exactly?" I mean it's not exactly the hub of any major industries. Most people who live here are from here. Not many people move here.

"I'm a musician." He said simply.

"And you make a living on that? In Forks?"

"Yes." He said simply.

"Wow. You must be incredibly talented. People here won't bother to drive twenty minutes to see the latest action flick. I can't see them paying to see live music." I said incredulously.

"Oh, I don't play live music anymore. I compose music on commission."

"Like for movies or commercials or something?"

"Yeah. Mostly for movies, but I don't work too much these days. I don't really need too."

"Bad boys" started playing from my phone, "Excuse me, I have to take this." I said quickly before answering. No way to avoid this any longer.

"Hey Charlie." I sighed into the phone. This conversation was going to suck.

 **EPOV**

God this woman was beautiful. Bella. Beautiful Bella. And smart, funny and full of fire. And young! God, she couldn't be older than her mid-twenties. Which made me an old creep. But I can't remember the last time I noticed a woman at all, much less liked one like this. And Bella was impossible to miss.

She had plopped down on the stool next to me just as I was starting my first pint. A deliciously floral scent had filled my senses and I looked over to see this stunningly beautiful woman unpacking what looked like genetics texts. She unwrapped herself out of a massive parka to reveal her slim, curvy form underneath. I was captivated immediately.

I had cringed as I watched Mike zero in on her. I liked to come here occasionally to people watch and on those occasions I had witnessed many women fall for Mike's clumsy charms. I had never once felt remotely jealous…until he set his sights on _her_. Watching her cut him down so quickly and thoroughly was fucking hot. She had no issues speaking her mind or standing up for herself and there was something sexy as hell about her confidence. This was a woman that didn't have time for losers like young Newton.

We shared the briefest of conversations, in which she was totally adorable. Unfortunately we were interrupted before I could get her name. I still enjoyed watching her as her face lit brightly for her friend. She glowed with love for Angela, who I have come to have respect for from our interactions. She seemed like a genuine, kind person. Not that I know her well. Not that I really know anyone well anymore, but I've always been pretty good a reading people.

Our second conversation was amazing. She seemed hesitant to open up to me at first, but she started to relax after a bit until her phone started playing that stupid song. I really didn't know how I could be jealous of the "bad boy" on the other end of phone, but I was. I mean, I had just met this woman. We'd spoken a total of ten minutes and somehow I was already feeling possessive.

I tried not to listen to her conversation - tried and fail miserably.

"Hey, Charlie." I cringed inwardly. Her likely boyfriend had a name now. I sipped my beer and tried to look like I wasn't eavesdropping.

"Yeah I finished up my shopping, but I stopped off to see Angela at the Lodge….Uh, I'm grabbing a quick bite with her while we catch up." She was fidgeting with her napkin. She seemed uncomfortable talking to this guy, whoever he was.

Her eyes looked sad and almost guilty as she listened, "Actually, I think I might just stay with Ange tonight. She's got space and we wanted to catch up some more. That way you won't have to worry about waking me in the morning."

So she didn't want to stay with whoever she was talking to. That was something. "No. I'm sure it's fine. And I know you like having me there, but I'll see you when you get back from work tomorrow. We can hang out then." She sounded so relieved. "Yeah, love you too. Goodnight"

She ended the call and then dropped her head down onto her arms on the bar. She stayed like this. I wasn't sure if I should say anything. She might just want to be left alone. I really didn't want to get told off like Mike just had. I was debating still when Angela came over with her food.

"Hey what's wrong? Is Mike out here bugging you again? To be honest I didn't really think he had the balls to piss you off anymore in one night."

Bella lifted her head off the bar as Angela set a plate down next to her books. "Charlie just called to check in on me. I may have lied and said that I needed to get out and do some last minute shopping and then I snuck over here."

"It can't be that bad Sweetie. He loves you, even if he sucks at showing it."

"I know. I just don't fit there anymore, you know? It's all so awkward and forced." Bella sighed. She looked so defeated. I wanted more than anything to take that sadness from her eyes and banish it for good. But it seemed she was hung up on someone. Angela noticed my interested and cocked an eyebrow at me. I looked away sheepishly and started nursing my beer again.

"Bella, honey. He's your dad. He'll always be your dad even if he has a new family now. It doesn't mean he loves you any less." Wait, Charlie is her dad? Ok so…that changes things a bit.

"I know, Ange, I do, but I mean there is literally no room for me. I'm relegated to the couch. I was going to stay for two weeks originally because it's been three and half years since I've seen my dad. But I can't sleep on the couch living out of a suitcase for that long. Plus Leah doesn't miss an opportunity to tell me how much she hates me and how inconvenient it is to have me there."

"Well Leah's a bitch. We all know this." Angela laughed bitterly.

"Ange, can I stay with you tonight? Just for tonight? I promise I'll leave first thing in the morning and I'll make my cinnamon rolls before I leave. Please?" She pleaded.

"Oh, Sweetie. I wish I could, but Ben's sister and her family are at our house for the next week. I promise I'd much rather spend the night chatting with you than exchanging forced pleasantries with the in-laws, but it's the holidays. It's the time of year for uncomfortable social obligations. So suck it up cupcake and go sleep on your dad's couch."

Bella sighed heavily, "Thanks Ang. I know you're right, but it still sucks. Can we have a day before I leave town? Just us? I miss you."

"I miss you too B. I'll text you and we'll set something up. Okay?" Angela gripped her friend's hand before heading back to work.

I watched from the corner of my eye as Bella picked at her fries. She looked so sad. I fucking hated that she looked like that. I wanted to fix it.

"Are you alright?" I asked quietly. Bella looked up at me like she'd forgotten I was there altogether "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to overhear, but I heard a bit."

"That's okay. It's to be expected. This is Forks after all." She sighed heavily, "Listen, I don't know you, but please don't repeat any of what I just said to anyone. It would really hurt my family if it got back to them."

"Oh, I wouldn't do that. I don't really talk to people much at all anyway. I think you're the first person I've had a personal conversation with in over a month. If that makes you feel any better."

Her brow furrowed, "Why don't you talk to people much?"

"I'm not really very good company these days. It's just easier to keep to myself, I guess."

"Huh. You seem like pretty good company to me," she shrugged. "But I guess I just met you." She smiled shyly at me. I would do anything to keep that smile on her face; it was stunning.

"Thanks." I said awkwardly. "I work at home and come here. I don't really do much else." I shrugged, turning back to my beer.

"Well, I'm work obsessed myself. At least that's what the few friends I keep tell me. But I've always been that way, even as a child. Always too serious and focused. It pisses my mother off something fierce." She smirked at that, obviously taking some satisfaction in annoying her mom.

"I think I've always been serious, but my sister says I've turned into a 'brooding asshole who's hiding away in this moldy corner of the world'." I couldn't help the indulgent smile that pulled at my lips as I thought of Alice. The trouble with having a sibling fifteen years my junior was that she would always be six years old with pigtails in my mind. My brother was only a year older than her, but he was 6'5" and built like a truck, so I really couldn't think of him as a kid anymore. Even if he acted like one.

Bella laughed at my comment and said, "I think I'd like your sister." I wondered briefly if she an Alice would get along. Alice was a bit energetic for most people, but Bella seemed laid back which might be a good complement to Alice's exuberance.

Before I could stop myself I said, "You probably would actually. She's unique."

"I always wished for a sibling, but you know what they say, be careful what you wish for." She looked so pained as she laughed bitterly.

"Did your father just remarry?" I asked.

"Well, a few years ago, but I haven't really been home since. He didn't invite me to the wedding until a couple weeks before, so there was no way I could get back in time. He said he didn't really think I would come all that way to watch him say a few words to a Justice of the Peace." She sounded so hurt.

I couldn't help myself from responding, "That's awful. Who wouldn't want to be there for their father's wedding?"

She turned in her stool to face me, leaning her elbow on the bar. I turned my body to match her posture as she spoke. "He was really hurt that I moved so far away for school. But how was I supposed to say no to a full ride at M.I.T.? And a position in Dr. Banner's lab to boot! I've been obsessed with his research since I learned of it in high school. Who says no to an opportunity like that to move back to Forks and teach at the local middle school?" The volume of her voice stayed low, ever conscious of nearby listeners, but she grew more agitated as she spoke.

"Um, wow. No one. No one in their right mind would have made a different choice than you did." How could anyone hold that against her?

"He's not a bad guy. He just doesn't understand. He never wanted to do anything other than live in this town and serve it. I'm not begrudging him that, but he can't even fathom wanting a different life. It's why he split with my mom and let us walk out of his life when I was three. She wanted to see some of the world, but he was tied to this town in a way she never would be."

"Wow. He let your mom walk away because he didn't want to move? Just like that? But you came back to live with him at some point? It sounded like you went to school here."

"Yeah, I went to high school here." She answered quietly as she turned back to her burger. "What about you? Where did you live before moving to sunny Forks?" She asked before taking a bite.

I really didn't want to go down this road with her, or anyone for that matter, but she was being so open with me and I liked it. I knew I had to be open with her if I wanted it to continue.

"I grew up in Chicago. I went to college in New York and then moved back to Chicago after that."

She asked the next logical question. The one I really wanted to avoid. "What made you move out this way? It's not like this town is even on most maps."

I had to just get it all out in one go. I took a deep breath and said, "Um. My mom wanted to move back here when she got sick. She used to visit with her family when she was a kid. She always found it to be peaceful. When she found out that her treatment options were exhausted, she wanted to come here to live out the rest of her life. I came here to help her with that and I never really left. She lived for a year and half – three times as long as they expected. I didn't really know how to reenter my old life after that." I looked up from my beer to find her looking back at me, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. She didn't say anything for a long moment, but she didn't look away I felt like she was seeing into my soul and I was seeing into hers. I don't remember ever feeling so naked before anyone before. I should have been terrified, but instead I felt…hopeful and raw at the same time. I didn't want this feeling to stop.

After a moment Bella reached over and laid her hand over mine on the bar. She all but whispered, "I'm so sorry that you lost your mother. She was so lucky to have such a loving son to spend the end of her life with her." I felt like I could sit here forever, lost in her deep brown eyes basking in the warmth of her small hand resting on mine. The warmth seemed to radiate from her hand throughout me. She was like the sun and I had been so starved of light for the last several years. Was it possible to fall in love in an hour? Because I was pretty sure I was falling hard and fast for Bella Swan.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you for the positive response to this story! This is my first fic so I'm still figuring things out a bit. I hope you enjoy this chapter. There will be lemons…you have been warned.**

 **Also, I clearly do not own twilight, because if I did, I'd have a nicer house and no student loans ;)**

 **BPOV**

Somehow this man had drawn me in completely. I couldn't seem to pull my gaze from his vibrant green eyes. I never even knew eyes could be that bright naturally, but Edward didn't seem like the kind of man to alter his eye color. He had a quiet strength to him that was shrouded in grief. I couldn't help but wonder where his father was while his mother was dying, but I wouldn't pry for details. He would tell me what he was comfortable sharing.

I felt like I should lighten things up slightly. I didn't want to trivialize what he had just told me, but I could share something of myself and shift the conversation to easier topics. "So to answer your earlier question, I'm studying bioengineering. My work is focused on engineering bacteria to target specific cancer cells within the body and attack them."

He stopped me, "Wait, you use bacteria to fight cancer?"

"Well that's the idea. We're working with e-coli bacteria, but modifying them so that they are only targeting cancer cells. It's still early research, but we're working on it."

"Wow. That's really cool. You talk about bioengineering and I can't help but think of dark secret government labs where freaky super weapons are developed." His tone was playful and I was glad that I had successfully distracted him from his grief.

My attention was caught by someone waving at the window across the bar from us. I looked over to see an irate Jacob trying to get my attention. "Oh, fuck. This is the last thing I need tonight."

"Who is that? Are you afraid of him?" His voice was filled with such sincere concern and I could see why. Jacob looked positively feral when he was pissed off. And he looked really pissed at the moment.

"No, it's fine. He's my step sister's fiancé. I can't ignore him or he'll come in and make a scene. I think I'll be back, but if not it was really nice talking with you." I didn't want to say goodbye to this intriguing man, but I knew Jacob was here to drag me home. I dropped some cash on the bar and grabbed my things before heading out to face my doom.

"Bella wait," Edward grabbed my wrist lightly before I could leave. I looked over at him with curiosity. I didn't feel threated by him like I might with someone else in this situation. "Would you…I know you're only here for a short visit, but would it be okay if I saw you again before you left? I really like talking with you," he said shyly.

Before I could second guess myself I grabbed my notebook and pen from my bag and jotted down my number. "Yeah, I'd like that." His answering smile was brilliant. This man was ridiculously handsome. I kind of wanted to lick his stubbly jaw. A banging on the window brought me back down to earth. "I'd better go. Sorry." I handed him the page with my number before hurrying out to deal with my annoying ex.

"What the hell are you doing here and who the fuck is that old prick in there? Are you so desperate these days you're fucking old dudes now?" Jacob sneered as soon as I stepped out into the cold night.

"Well Merry Christmas to you too, Jacob." I answered calmly. I wasn't going to dignify his jealous ramblings with a response.

"Who. Is. He?" he demanded as he moved too far into my personal space for comfort.

"Damnit Jacob, he's just a friend. What the hell do you care? We are not together. You are engaged to Leah. Why do you care who I talk to?" I knew why. I wasn't an idiot, but Jacob and Leah were both in complete denial. If Jacob's feelings for me were resolved he wouldn't pull shit like this at every opportunity.

"I'm just looking out for you like a good brother." Disgust dripped from his voice as he spoke the last word. When it was obvious that I wasn't going to respond he continued, "You should be at home with your family not hanging out in some bar chatting up old geezers. Everyone's really hurt that you didn't stay and visit." I snorted at that because we both knew it was total bullshit. "God you are such a selfish bitch. You always were!" He was shouting now. There was a time when his words would have cut me, but I was long past letting Jacob Black manipulate me with guilt and lies.

"Fuck you Jacob! When I got home everyone seemed to have plans for the evening so I did some last minute Christmas shopping and stopped by here to see Angela. She's working and I've been catching up with friends. I don't answer to you and I can't believe you came out here to track me down. Weren't you and Leah supposed to be out on a date right now?" He looked a little sheepish at the mention of Leah and I knew my instincts were right. He'd ditched out of their plans to come and 'check up on me'. The bastard. Now I'd have to deal with more hateful vitriol from my beloved sister. "Why don't you just leave, Jacob? I'll head home when I'm ready."

"Not in Seth's truck you won't. He's been stuck at home because you stole his truck to go whoring it up around town and I'm here to bring it home. You should get in if you don't want to be left here to fend for yourself." He sounded so fucking smug. Like I'd get in a vehicle with him willingly!

Time for his plan to backfire. I threw the keys at him. "Funny, when I borrowed the truck from Seth earlier tonight he said Clare was picking him up and he didn't need it until tomorrow night. But take it if you're so concerned. I'll find my own way home."

I started to walk away, but he grabbed my arm. It wasn't gentle like Edward had grabbed me earlier. I could tell instantly that my arm would bruise. I swiftly kicked him in the shin and pulled my arm away. "Keep your fucking hands off of me or I will tell Charlie. I have no problem pressing charges against you this time Jake. If you think I'm fucking kidding just try me." I leveled him with a cold stare. He knew Charlie would believe me if I wanted to press charges. Leah would throw a fit, but Charlie knew I would never lie about something like assault. Jacob scowled and skulked off toward the truck. I had given it to Seth when I moved out east. He said I could borrow it anytime I was home visiting. This was the first time I'd asked in three years and Jacob had the nerve to act like I stole the thing.

I watched him drive away from the Lodge as I walked back toward the building. I didn't think I wanted to face the people inside just yet. I'm sure they had all witnessed that delightful exchange. I slid down the wall and sat my ass down on the cold concrete. I tried not to let Jacob get to me anymore. I didn't want to give him that power over me. But however hard I tried, that emotional bullshit took its toll. I'm not sure how long I sat there before I heard the door open. I looked up to see a cautious Edward approaching me.

He sunk down next me in a crouch. "You okay? That looked kind of heated from in there."

"Yeah. I'm okay. Jacob took my truck because he's a prick. I'll just hang out until Angela can drive me home. It's no big deal."

"Well, I could drive you home. I know you don't know me really at all, but I promise to deliver you home safely. I've only had the one beer so I'm okay to drive." The funny thing was it never even occurred to me to be afraid of him. I felt closer to him in the short time I'd known him than I ever felt to Jacob and I'd known him most of my life.

"I'm not afraid to be alone with you." I stated simply. "I trust you. I don't know why, but I feel…" I didn't know how to finish my sentence. I wasn't sure what I felt for him, but it felt undeniable.

After a short pause he said, "I know. I feel it too." I looked up into his eyes and I saw confusion and hopefulness. I was pretty sure he was seeing the same thing mirrored in my eyes. He asked hesitantly, "I know you don't want to go home. Would you…um…would you want to stay at my place." My eyebrows rose in surprise and he continued in a rush, "I mean I would sleep on the couch and you could have my bed. I sleep on my couch all the time so it's no big deal. I don't want you to think that I… I mean… I just I wasn't expecting anything. I just wanted you to have a safe place to stay and I really don't want to stop talking to you if I'm being completely honest –"

I cut him off, rising up to my knees and pressing my lips against his. For a brief terrifying moment he sat frozen and I thought I'd misread things, but then his body relaxed into mine. He returned my kiss eagerly and quickly deepened it. His hands came up to cup the sides of my face and I felt his tongue slide against my lower lip begging for entrance. I opened to him and I was in heaven. He tasted amazing. I had kissed a few men in my life, but none had affected me like this. The heat that I had felt earlier when we touched was ignited tenfold. I felt like my body was on fire – the most delicious fire. I wanted to continue kissing him forever, but too soon he pulled away, dropping one last chaste kiss on my lips. He pressed his forehead against mine and smiled down at me.

"Does that mean you want to come and hang out at my place?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah. I'd like that," I answered.

Without another word he stood, taking my hand and pulling me up with him. He led me to the back of the parking lot and pulled his keys from his pocket. He pressed a button unlocking a sporty silver Volvo. He held the door open for me and I slid in and he closed it after me. We drove without speaking through the quiet wet streets of Forks. Soft music played in the background, but I didn't really have it in me to pay close attention at the moment. I was buzzing with energy and anticipation. I was excited to spend more time with Edward. I knew Charlie would kill me if he knew I was going home with a stranger, but Edward didn't seem like a stranger to me. I knew what I was feeling and I wasn't going to deny it. Let the chips fall where they may.

 **EPOV**

I couldn't sit there any longer. I had watched anxiously as she argued with the large man towering over her. She didn't seem scared or intimidated, but I wasn't certain he wouldn't hurt her. I nearly lost it when he grabbed her arm, but she gave him a sharp kick and pulled her arm away before I could do more than jump to my feet. She was damn sexy when she was angry. There was a fire in her eyes as she ripped the Asshole a new one. That was what the dude's name had quickly become in my head, the Asshole. I desperately wanted to hear the heated words she was clearly spewing; I had never wished for superhuman abilities until that moment.

When he finally left, the pained look on her face had me quickly settling my tab and heading for the door. I hovered for a moment behind the door. I wasn't sure she would welcome my interference. What if she just wanted to be alone? I'd hate to force my company on her, but I really needed to know that she was okay. That desire won out over my fear of overstepping and I made my way outside. I was instantly glad I had. She looked so small and frail, curled up into herself as she sat on the cold ground. Her back was against the brick building and her arms were draped over her head as she hid her face against her knees. She looked like a broken version of the goddess I'd met earlier tonight. I hated the Asshole for breaking her spirit like this.

I walked over and crouched next to her, asking if she was okay. She told me what had happened with the Asshole and I saw red. Bella tried to play it off like it wasn't a big deal, but it was easy to see by her red rimmed eyes and tear dampened cheeks that she was lying. The Asshole had made my beautiful Bella cry. I knew she wasn't mine, but god did I want her to be.

Before I knew what I was saying, I found myself offering my home to her. I didn't think of how it might come across until I saw her surprised expression. All I wanted was for her to feel safe and protected – _I_ wanted to be her protector. I panicked and started to babble. The last thing I expected was for her to kiss me and I sat stunned, like an idiot, for way too long. She started to pull away, but I couldn't let that happen. I melted into her and gently held her face to mine. Her skin was so soft and her scent was even more intoxicating up close. It consumed me and broke me of all my reservations. I let instinct take over and deepened the kiss, savoring the taste of her soft lips and tongue. She tasted so good – sweet with just the slightest hint of beer on her tongue.

I could kiss her all night, but I knew it was just a matter of time before we were interrupted. The last thing I wanted was for her to be embarrassed or regret our kiss. It was by far the most amazing kiss I'd ever experienced and I didn't want to taint it with anything. Reluctantly, I pulled away and pressed my forehead against hers, trying desperately to catch my breath and regain some control. I couldn't believe she'd agreed to come home with me. I couldn't believe that she felt this connection just as much as I did. By the time we were driving to my house the silence in the car had started to make me nervous. I didn't know if she was regretting her decision or if she was just processing the night's events.

I saw her pull out her phone and start texting. Now I was really worried. Was she writing someone for help?

"Bella, I can still take you home if you'd rather." She looked over at me as I spoke. Her gaze remained even and unreadable so I continued, "I'd never want you to feel uncomfortable or trapped. I can take you home anytime."

She reached over and took my hand, entwining her fingers with her own on her lap. She looked down at our hands as she spoke softly, "I didn't change my mind. I'd like to spend more time with you. I don't really know what's happening between us, but I know that I'm not ready to say goodbye to you." She looked up at me then and she looked so open and vulnerable. I was struck again by how young she was. She must be about ten years younger than me; did she realize how large the age gap was? Did it bother her?

I was terrified, but I had to know before I got in any deeper. "Bella…can I ask you something?" She nodded in response. "Um…how old are you?"

I braced myself, hoping that she was way closer to thirty than she looked, but her answer just about knocked the wind out of me. "I turned twenty-one in September. Why how old are you?"

I couldn't answer right away. She had rendered me completely dumb. I felt my mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water, but no sound would come out. How was it possible? She was nearly finished with her PhD!

Finally I was able to voice my question, "Bella how is that possible?" I barely recognized my strangled voice.

I looked over at her and she looked so sad and worried. I had put that look in her eyes. I needed to fix this. "I just…I thought you were much older given how close you are to finishing your PhD and you went to high school with Mike and Angela. Angela's been teaching at the middle school for a few years now. She must be at least twenty-five."

"Edward, does it bother you that much? Do you want to take me home?" Her voice sounded so small and defeated.

"No!" I said too quickly and way too loudly causing a nervous laugh to escape Bella's lips, "I just…you just surprised me is all. I was already feeling guilty about wanting you this way when I thought you were in your mid to late twenties." I cast a sideways glance at her as I pulled into my drive. "Bella, I'm thirty-seven. Are you sure that doesn't freak you out? That's a pretty substantial age gap. I'm quite literally old enough to be your father." I sighed, wincing as the truth of my words hit me.

"Well, I'll admit that I thought you were a bit younger than you are," she laughed and my stomach dropped. We were nearly to the end of the drive now and I was dreading the moment when she would ask me to turn around and take her home. "It doesn't freak me out really. I don't really see why it matters. I can't ignore this connection I feel to you. I've never felt anything like this before. Have you?"

"No. Never." I couldn't deny it either. There was something intense between us that went way beyond attraction or sexual tension. I wanted to know everything about Bella, be everything to her. I felt inexplicably protective of her, in spite of her evident strength, which was one of the qualities that attracted me to her the most.

We were both quiet as I pulled up to the cottage. The lane was dark, but the porch lights were on. I made my way around the car to open Bella's door, but she hadn't waited for me. Instead I grasped her hand and pulled her into an enveloping hug. She melted into my body and hummed in contentment; she fit so perfectly in my arms. The silence between us was comfortable, but filled with a simmering tension. The current that seemed to pass between us had intensified after our talk. I felt like I might burst into flames if I stopped touching her.

I took her hand again and led her inside. I released her for a moment so that we could hang up our coats, but clasped her hand in mine again once that was done. Flipping on lights as I went I pulled her along toward the living room at the back of the house. The house was a small two bedroom cottage, but it suited my need for solitude. I couldn't stay in the main house after my mother died. It felt empty and filled with sadness. That was her house and her absence there was a constant reminder that she was gone.

I led Bella to sit in the oversized chair near the fireplace and knelt down to start a fire. She watched as I arranged the kindling and quickly got the larger logs to ignite. She continued to observe in silence as I grabbed two glasses and a bottle of scotch from the bar before returning to her. I placed them on the table and tugged on her hand to pull her gently from the chair. Her eyebrow lifted in question until I sunk down into the chair and pulled her so she was sitting across my lap. She sighed and leaned her head against my shoulder causing my arms to tighten snugly around her. I breathed in her scent deeply, trying to memorize it in case she disappeared like the dream she seemed to be.

I pulled her closer still and rested my cheek against her hair. I didn't think I could ever feel close enough to her. I startled slightly when I felt her warm lips against my neck as she placed soft kisses up toward my ear. I couldn't contain the small moan that escaped me as I felt her mouth open and her hot tongue slide against the stubble on my jaw.

She pulled away slightly and looked up at me with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I've been wanting to do that since I first laid eyes on you," she confessed.

"Really?" I chuckled, "you've been wanting to lick my jaw?"

"Um, yeah," she responded as if it was the stupidest question she'd ever heard.

I quirked and eyebrow at her before replying. "There are so many things I've been wanting to do to you since the moment you sat down next to me." My voice was low and full of lust as I ran my hand up her thigh to grab hold of her hip. Her eyes darkened as she stared back into mine. She swiftly adjusted herself on my lap so that she was straddling my hips, her knees sinking into the cushion of the chair. Her fingers slid up my neck and into my hair, tugging it not so gently into her hands. I couldn't help the low growl that rumbled in my chest. I didn't think I'd ever made that noise before, but I had a feeling that Bella could have me doing all sorts of things I'd never imagined myself doing. She owned me already.

Her voice was soft and husky when she next spoke. Her lips were so close to mine I could feel the heat of her breath against my face. "What things would you like to do to me exactly?" I felt myself harden almost painfully at her words. She must have felt it too because her darkened eyes took on a glazed look and her lids dropped slightly. She looked so fucking sexy I was afraid I'd come right there and then before I even got to touch her properly.

I ran my hands up her jean covered legs and gripped her hips firmly. I pulled her against me hard. I wanted her to feel the effect she had on me. Her responding moan was almost my undoing. She kissed me hungrily and began to grind her hips against my own. There was a desperation to our kisses; I wanted to taste every bit of her mouth as my tongue wrestled with hers. I wanted to taste her everywhere. That thought had me shifting my hands to grip her perfect ass and standing up from the chair. Her legs wrapped around my waist as I strode a few steps forward. I laid us down on the rug in front of the fire and began kissing and sucking at her neck. She tasted incredible and I planned to taste every last inch of her skin. Her grip on my hair tightened and I groaned in response, grinding my hard cock against her. She pushed her hips up to meet my own, trying to create more friction. She whimpered under me as I moved down her body further, ending that delicious contact. But I had an agenda and it didn't include coming in my pants like a fourteen year old boy.

Her breathing sped up as I pushed her t-shirt up revealing her soft flat stomach. Her muscles were defined, but still soft. I let the tip of my tongue trace around her bellybutton and down along the low waistline of her jeans. Her hips raised off the rug impatiently as she writhed under me. I pushed my hand up under her shirt, raising it up further. Her soft, pale skin looked amazing under the warm glow of the fire. I kissed and nibbled my way up her body as I lifted her shirt over her bra. I looked up into her eyes silently asking permission. She nodded and leaned up slightly to help me pull her top off completely, tossing it aside carelessly. I was stunned for a moment by her beauty and stared down in awe. Her full breasts spilled out from her lacey black bra. I could see the edge of her hard nipples peeking out from behind the lace as her chest rose and fell quickly with her ragged breaths.

"You are so fucking beautiful, Bella." I looked up at her then and saw apprehension leave her face. Did she honestly think I would find her anything less than stunning? "Don't you know that? You are by far the sexiest thing I've ever seen."

The alluring confidence returned to her expression as she reached behind her, arching her back off the floor to unhook her bra. She tossed it onto her shirt. I leaned down and grasped her left nipple between my lips. I sucked and nibbled as I massaged each of her perfect breasts in my hands. As I expected, her skin tasted incredible. Her moans grew louder and her back kept lifting off the rug as I moved my mouth to her other nipple. I could seriously do this for hours. The hot little noises she was making were going straight to my cock. I didn't think I could get any harder. I pressed my groin against her leg seeking some slight relief and she groaned in response.

When my name spilled in a soft moan from her lips I nearly lost it. But I was determined. I needed to taste her everywhere. My lips moved down her body again as I flicked open the button on her pants. I eased her zipper down as my tongue wandered under the top edge of her panties. I pulled her jeans off along with her panties leaving her completely naked before me. I looked down in awe at her bare pussy. It was perfect and so wet already. I looked up in to her heavily hooded eyes. All her earlier apprehension was gone; it had been replaced by unbridled lust. That look had me spreading her thighs apart gently with my palms. Keeping my eyes on hers, I place one long, slow lick up the length of her slit. I groaned loudly at her flavor on my tongue; she tasted better than I ever imagined. I circled my tongue around her clit before sucking it into my mouth. Her hips shot of the rug as she cried out my name.

"Edward! Oh my god…so good… please…please...please…" She begged. I wasn't sure if she even knew what she was begging for, but I would do anything to give it to her. I continued sucking and licking on her clit as I eased my index finger inside her. God she was so tight and wet. I couldn't wait to be buried inside her delicious heat. She cried out and rocked against me as I pumped my finger in and out of her slowly, never letting up on her small bundle of nerves. She bucked up to meet my hand as I added another finger and sucked and licked faster. She continued to thrust her hips up to meet my hand. I curled my fingers up and began to massage inside her, earning me a string of expletives from Bella's lips. When I felt her begin to tighten around my fingers I bit down gently on her clit. She screamed out my name as I felt her muscles clenching around my fingers. I licked her slowly as she rode out her orgasm. When her body had calmed, I eased my fingers out of her and licked them clean.

I watched her in wonder as she came down from her climax. She was breathtaking and I couldn't help the smug grin that spread on my face knowing I had made her feel like that. She opened her eyes lazily and reached down to pull me up her body. I happily complied. She pulled on the back of my neck, crashing her lips into mine in a searing kiss, not seeming to care that she could taste herself on me. Her hands tugged at the hem of my shirt and I pulled it off hastily before returning my lips to hers eagerly. She pulled away to gaze down at my body, running her nails lightly over my chest and down my abs. In that moment I was grateful to Emmett for insisting that daily workouts would keep me from going crazy out here in 'bumfuck Washington', as he so eloquently put it. I hissed as her hands slid beneath the waist of my pants and began pulling at the button. It had been so long since anyone had touched me like this. I knew this wouldn't last long.

Before I knew what was happening, she had pulled my pants open and her hot little hand slid inside my boxer briefs and wrapped around me. I bucked into her hand as my forehead dropped down to her shoulder and I tried to regain control.

"Bella," I gasped. "…if you….god that feels good…if you keep doing that I'm not gonna last long." I couldn't seem to stop myself from thrusting into her hand as she worked it over my shaft. When she didn't stop her stroking I lifted my head to meet her gaze.

"Seriously Bella," I said reaching down to still her hand. I looked into her deep brown eyes. I needed her to understand. "It's been so long since I've been with anyone. And everything with you is so much more intense than it's ever been. I'm not gonna last if you keep that up and I really need to be inside you." She nodded, but didn't remove her hand.

I could see her mind processing something for a moment before she spoke. "How long?" she asked.

"How long since I've been with anyone?" I asked and she nodded. "Six years." I answered honestly. There had been a couple of one night stands after Tanya left, but they left me feeling so empty and lonely that I decided celibacy was a better option for me.

Her eyebrows shot up. "Six years?" she asked incredulously. "But you're….you're…" She ran her hand across my chest by way of explanation.

"I'm what?" I asked, unable to figure out what she meant.

"You're fuckhot!" she exclaimed before clapping her hand over her mouth in embarrassment.

I laughed, "I'm fuckhot, am I?"

"Yes." She answered. "You could easily get laid whenever you want, even in Forks. Why has it been six years?"

I sighed, not really wanting to explain about Tanya and my self-imposed celibacy. It wasn't that I didn't want to tell her. I just didn't want to get into it all at the moment. Reluctantly, I pulled her hand away from my cock so I could think clearly. "I was in a relationship that ended while my mom was sick." I saw her face soften and her eyes grow concerned. "I don't really do well with casual hookups, which I learned the hard way. And I haven't exactly been open to letting anyone into my life…before now." I wanted her to know this was out of character; this wasn't casual. I hoped that it wasn't too much. I kept waiting for something to be too much for her to deal with.

"Oh, well. It's been a while for me too. Obviously not six years because, I was fifteen then, but it's been nearly three years." She brushed the hair off of my forehead and was quiet for a moment. She seemed to be deciding something. "That man you saw me arguing with earlier is my ex. He was my first. We were only together a few times before things ended. And I had a casual fling just after I broke things off with Jake, but that really isn't my thing." She looked into my eyes and held her palm against my face, "I don't really do the casual thing either. It just made me feel lonely and lost. I don't know what this is," she said caressing my cheek, "but it's not casual to me."

I dropped a soft kiss on her full lips and ran my knuckles lightly over her cheek. "This is so far from casual for me, Bella. I'm a little afraid of how attached I'm getting to you, but I can't seem to stop myself from falling." I smiled down at her surprised expression. Again I had said so much more than I had meant to, but I couldn't find it in me to regret it. Bella made me feel brave.

She pulled on the back of my neck again, bringing me in for another kiss. This kiss was tender and filled with promise. Though we had just met, every moment with Bella was intimate, every touch ignited me. I had never felt so exposed to another person and I wanted more than anything to make her mine in every way. Our kisses grew passionate and frenzied. She pushed down at my pants and boxers until my hard cock sprung free against her lower abdomen. She moaned in response and I pushed my clothes the rest of the way off.

I trailed my fingers down between her breasts and over her stomach. When I cupped my hand down over her pussy she let out another loud moan and her hips rocked up into my hand. My fingers slipped into her folds and found her more than ready for me.

"God Bella, you're so wet." I groaned.

"Please Edward. I need you inside me now!" She cried.

I rubbed the head of my cock against her entrance and we both moaned at the feeling. She was so hot and wet and I wasn't even inside her yet.

"Fuck, Bella. I don't have a condom." I looked up at her in panic. I thought I might die if I wasn't inside her soon.

"It's okay. I'm covered and I'm clean." She said. "You're clean right? I mean it's been a while for both of us, but I'm sure that I'm clean."

"Yes I'm clean. I got tested a while back, but are you sure, Bella? You trust me?"

"Yes. I do. I want to feel you. Please Edward. I promise I'm covered."

I placed a firm kiss on her lips and slowly started to push inside her. "Fuuuuuckkk!" I groaned when I was partially in her. She felt so amazingly tight. I had to take it slow. I needed to make this good for her if I could. She whimpered and started to raise her hips up impatiently. I pushed the rest of the way in and we cried out together at the sensation. She felt like nothing I'd ever experienced before. I stilled my motions for a moment and exhaled slowly to gain control.

"Baby there is no way this is going to last long this time. You feel too good." I said looking down into her eyes.

"Don't care. Don't stop." She breathed as her hands moved down my back and grabbed my ass pulling me against her.

I started to move slowly, setting a torturous pace. I pulled nearly all the way out of her before pushing deep into her heat. Over and over. She slid her feet up the rug so that her knees were bent at my sides, allowing her to gain leverage and push up into my hips. She met my thrusts with force, making my eyes roll back into my head and testing my control. Her movements, combined with her tight grip on my ass felt amazing. I found my lips sucking on her neck where it met her shoulder. My teeth grazed the skin there lightly. Her breath hitched when I did, so I continued to bite and suck at her skin. I pulled her leg up, resting her ankle on my shoulder, allowing me to thrust deeper into her hot pussy as our pace increased. She cried out and met my next thrust with more force than before.

"So close…" she cried. "Don't stop…so close!"

"Fuck Bella, you feel so good." I moved my free hand down to rub her clit while I thrust into her. I felt her walls begin to tighten around me and I couldn't hold my own climax back any longer. My thrusts became erratic as I felt her walls pulse around me, milking my cock as I came harder than I had ever come in my life.

I couldn't move and my breathing was rapid as I lay collapsed on top of Bella. Realizing that I must be crushing her I rolled onto my side, pulling her with me so I didn't have to slide out of her yet. I wasn't ready to lose that connection yet. We just lay there, both breathing heavily, staring into each other's eyes. I brushed the damp hair off of her face and pulled her body closer to mine.

"Wow," she whispered.

I chuckled at her simple statement. "Wow, indeed." Her quiet laughter joined my own.

Eventually I pulled my softening cock out of her. She whined at the loss, which echoed my own feelings. I left her to clean up in the bathroom, returning with a warm wash cloth for her. She lay looking up at me with a sleepy smile as I cleaned her up with the cloth. I dropped it in the laundry. When I returned I found her curled up on the rug in front of the dying fire with her eyes beginning to droop closed. I scooped her up and she yelped in surprise.

"Edward! What are you doing?"

"I'm taking you upstairs to bed," I said before dropping a soft kiss on her swollen lips.

"I am capable of walking, you know." She leaned her head against my shoulder, telling me she really didn't mind being carried.

"I know, but I wouldn't want you to get cold on the way upstairs." I said with a crooked grin. She smiled indulgently and hummed as her eyes started to drift closed again.

I laid her down on my bed before sliding in next to her. "I could get used to this," I said as I pulled her back close to my chest.

"Get used to what? Mind-blowing, earth-shattering sex?" she asked sleepily.

I laughed, "Well that too, but I meant having you here in my bed like this. You look really good in my bed. I think it's where you belong."

This time her laugh sounded a little off and I realized why. She wouldn't be staying. She would be leaving in a few days. She didn't belong here in my bed. She belonged in Cambridge, doing amazing work and meeting people her own age. I couldn't keep her; she deserved better than that.

I watched her as her breathing evened out and she sank into a deep sleep. I pulled her closer into my body, needing to feel as much of her skin against mine as possible. This might be my only night with her. Just because this wasn't casual to either of us didn't mean we could figure out how to have a future together. I stayed awake for hours, softly kissing her shoulder and holding her close. I wanted to memorize every detail I could about this amazing woman who owned my heart. I didn't want to waste a moment of our time together sleeping.

I was just beginning to drift off to sleep, somewhere in the wee hours of the morning, when I heard her soft voice mumble something. I sat up to look at her face, but she was fast asleep. I was about to lay back down when she said my name and I realized she was talking in her sleep. I watched her for a few minutes before lying down again.

Just before I fell asleep I heard her murmur, "Love you, Edward." I fell into a contented sleep, secure in the fact that at least some part of Bella was feeling for me what I felt for her.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you for the kind reviews! It's very encouraging and keeps me motivated. Hope you enjoy this chapter…there may be more lemons….okay there definitely are.**

 **Oh and no offense intended to Wichita. I'm sure it's a lovely city.**

 **Obvs: I do not own twilight because if I did, I would have a much cooler car.**

 **BPOV**

I was having the loveliest dream of soft lips leaving hot, wet kisses on my neck. Everything was so warm and I could feel strong arms pulling me close to a hard body against my back. All night I had been getting flashes of bright green eyes and searing hot kisses in my dreams. I really didn't want to wake up. Real life could wait.

"Mmmm…" I hummed as a warm, rough hand massaged my breast and tugged at my nipple. I blinked a few times before opening my eyes to the dull light that filled the room. But what room was this? I didn't recognize the faded amber walls or the worn, handmade quilt that lay over me. I felt a dull ache between my legs and something hard and warm against my ass and suddenly my mind cleared of the sleepy haze I had been in and I remembered.

"Oh!" I gasped as I looked over my shoulder at the sleepy, sexy man holding me. We were laying on our sides in the center of a large antique looking bed. He was spooning me and those green eyes from my dream were staring back at me with heavy lids. "So that wasn't a dream, then?" I asked playfully.

He didn't answer me; instead, his lips left another open mouthed kiss on my bare shoulder, trailing his tongue up toward my neck as he ground his morning erection against my ass. It was then that I realized that we were both still completely naked. Before I could second guess myself, I pushed my ass back against him, causing a growl to rumble through his chest. He lifted my leg over his hip and slid his hand up to my center. He began making small, slow circles teasing my clit.

"So wet for me already, baby." He breathed against my shoulder and I moaned at his words. I loved when he called me that. I pushed back again and he entered me in one swift motion. This wasn't the slow, sensual lovemaking from last night. He moved his hand up to grip my hip firmly. His movements were powerful and controlled. His cock was stretching me and I felt so incredibly full of him. Suddenly he reached his other hand under my lower hip and pulled me up onto my hands and knees.

"Fuck baby, you feel so good like this." He said as he thrust forcefully in and out of me from behind. I had never been taken like this, from behind. Hell, I had only had sex a handful of times and it had never been very varied or satisfying. Edward felt so deep in me in this position as I pushed back to meet his forceful thrusts. I never knew it could be like this.

"Feels so good..." I breathed out. "So. So. Good." I punctuated each thrust. He lifted me by the hips so that my knees raised off the bed, pulling me against him hard with each thrust. Suddenly, I felt myself coming hard and fast around him. I screamed out as my intense climax hit me without warning and I felt his motions become erratic as he pulsed into me. He held my hips firmly against his own as he rode out his own climax buried deep inside me. We both slumped down to the bed in an exhausted tangle of limbs.

After my breathing slowed a bit, I untangled myself and turned to face Edward.

"Good morning," I said shyly.

His eyes were half closed and he had a lazy smile on his lips. "Good morning, love. I'm sorry I woke you." He chuckled. At my skeptical expression he added, "Okay, so I'm really not sorry. Anyway it couldn't be helped." He leaned over and caressed my face softy.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"About seven. I really would have let you sleep, but you kept rubbing that gorgeous ass against me and I couldn't help but respond."

I felt my face heat up as I cast my eyes down. Of course I was grinding on him in my sleep. At least he didn't seem to mind. It was still embarrassing. Edward pushed my chin up gently forcing my eyes to meet his. "Hey," he said tenderly. "I was just joking around. Please don't be embarrassed. I'm sure I was molesting you in your sleep too." His mouth pulled up into a sweet grin. He looked so boyish when he grinned like that. I brushed the hair off of his forehead and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

"So…." I began hesitantly. "What now?" I asked the loaded question we were both avoiding.

Sadness crossed his face. He laid his hand gently against my cheek. "I don't know, but I really don't want to give you up now that I've found you."

I sighed in relief. At least we were on the same page there, "I know. I feel the same way. But you live here and I have to head back to school in six days." I must have been pouting because he leaned down and nibbled on my lower lip before sucking it into his mouth.

Too soon he pulled back to look at me again. "When do you have to be back at school? Are you headed back in six days because you have to or because you didn't want to stay with your family longer than that?"

Wow, he knew me so well already. "I don't have to be back for three weeks, but I figured a week on the couch at Charlie's was enough. That couch is like thirty years old and covered in a scratchy, woven fabric that can be felt through layers of sheets. It is the definition of uncomfortable." I smiled sadly. I really hated the idea of going back there today. I wanted to stay right here. I snuggled closer to Edward and buried my face in his chest.

"I wish you could stay here." He said echoing my thoughts. He was quiet for a while, leaving soft kisses on my hair sporadically. I had almost started to drift off to sleep again when he asked, "Would you want to go somewhere with me while you're on break, instead of heading right back to school?"

I pulled back so that I could see his face. "Where would we go?" I asked, loving the idea of spending more time with him. I wasn't sure what I could afford, but maybe we could do something cheap. As long as we could be together.

"We can go anywhere," he answered, his hand traveling up and down my spine as he spoke. "Bora Bora, Paris, New York, London, Hawaii, Wichita, Dallas, Seattle, Rome. I don't care as long as you're with me." The earnestness in his eyes made me shiver. Was this man real?

"Wichita?" I giggled.

He laughed with me, "What? I really don't care where we go as long as I can have more time with you." I had to kiss him then. It was necessary. We shared slow, languid kisses and soft reverent caresses for several minutes before he pulled back and said, "As much as I enjoy doing that, you didn't answer my question."

"I know." I sighed. "I want to go somewhere with you. I'm just not sure what I can afford to do. It's the holidays and I'm sure tickets and hotels are really pricey this time of year. Maybe I can just pretend to go home and hide out here with you."

He laughed, "Bella, I asked you to go somewhere with me. It would be my treat. I've been cooped up in this house for years. I want to take you somewhere." He sounded so excited by the idea, but it made me uncomfortable that he wanted to spend money on me.

"Edward, I can't accept something like that. I would never be able to pay you back. It's too much." I said quietly. I didn't want to hurt his feelings, but I had to be honest with him.

"It's not too much. It's just enough. Love, I've sequestered myself in this house for over six years. Only leaving for the occasional meal at the lodge or to get necessities. For over a year before that, I was in my mother's house down the drive, taking care of her while she was dying. I haven't been out of Forks for nearly five years. I haven't wanted to leave. You make me want to leave. You make me want to live again. Don't you see that?" He gently stroked the side of my face as he spoke. I was shaken by his words and the emotion I could feel behind them.

He brushed his finger under my eye and whispered, "Don't cry baby," before kissing my cheek. I hadn't realized I was crying.

"I'm sorry. I'm just not used to feeling this strongly about someone. I've never felt like this before. It's kind of overwhelming."

"I've never felt this before either," he said as he placed soft kisses on my cheeks and wiped away stray tears. "Please say you'll go with me. Money's not an issue. I've got loads of money and I hardly ever spend any of it on myself. I want to take you away somewhere. It might as well be somewhere you've always wanted to go."

My resolve was wavering. I really couldn't deny this beautiful man anything when he wanted it so badly. "I've never been anywhere really. I lived in Arizona with my mom as a kid and I've visited her in Florida a couple of times. Oh and I went to New York once with my roommates, but other than that I've been here, Seattle and Cambridge. So any new place would be fun." I smiled up at him. His answering smile was so bright it was practically blinding.

"Even Wichita?" He asked.

I giggled. "Yes, even Wichita. Plus if we got bored, we could spend all our time in bed." He groaned and rolled me onto my back, hovering over me.

"Now there's a good idea. Maybe I should take you somewhere really dull." He nuzzled into my neck.

"Like Forks?" I laughed.

"No, somewhere new! Anywhere but Forks." He muttered as his lips traveled up my neck and took possession of my earlobe, "There must be somewhere you want to go."

"Um, the beach sounds nice." I was surprised I was able to get a coherent thought out while he was nibbling on my ear. I trailed my hand down his back and around his hip relishing the feel of his firm muscles as I went.

"Mmmm…The beach sounds good. Can I buy you an itty bitty bikini to wear? One of those with little ties at the sides for easy —" he broke off in a gasp as I took a firm grip on his quickly hardening cock.

"Baby are you sure you don't need a break? You must be sore after earlier." His words held no conviction as I stroked the soft skin of his hard shaft.

"Well, I am sore," I said pushing him onto his back. "but I don't see why that has to be a problem." I trailed kisses across his chest and lightly teased each of his nipples with my teeth. I trailed my tongue down his firm stomach before tracing along the defined v on his lower abs. He hissed as my tongue traced the vein on the underside of his erection.

"Oh Fuck!" he swore as I took him into my mouth fully without further warning. I loved the feel of him in my mouth. I could still taste myself on his skin from our earlier activities. There was something so erotic about tasting the evidence of our fucking on his skin. I sucked a bit harder and swirled my tongue along him savoring the feeling of him pumping in and out of my mouth. His hands came to rest gently in my hair as unrestrained moans and expletives spilled from his lips, but I needed more. I placed my hand on top of his in my hair and guided him to grip my hair. He understood what I wanted and tugged on my hair gently. When I moaned loudly in response he got bolder, gathering all my hair into one hand and pulling harder. It felt amazing and I told him so by sucking harder and bobbing up and down faster on him. He began tentatively to thrust in and out of my mouth. I moaned and met his thrusts, taking him as deep as I could down my throat.

When I brought my hand down to touch and gently squeeze his balls he tried to pull me off of him saying, "Fuck baby…gonna come." I held my ground. I looked up at him and he was stunning. His head was thrown back in ecstasy, his eyes closed tightly and his mouth hanging open as he cried out. His eyes opened and he looked down at me watching him and seemed to come instantly at the site. He spilled down my throat and I swallowed around him, catching every last drop. As he came down I released him from my mouth, placing one last kiss on his cock before crawling back up into his arms.

Edward pulled me in tightly and grasped my face in his hands before kissing me fiercely. "Baby….I…..I have no words. That was….wow." He rested his face against my hair and pulled my leg up so I was half laying across his body. I giggled quietly at his babbling.

We must have drifted back to sleep because the next thing I knew it was much brighter in the room and I heard a distant ringing from somewhere nearby. Edward stirred under me. I lifted my head from his chest and looked up at his sleepy smile.

"Is that your phone?" I asked, my voice raspy with sleep.

"Yeah. It's just my sister. She calls me once a week to make sure I didn't die alone out here unnoticed." He laughed. "It would be sweet if she wasn't so annoying." He lazily stroked the hair back from my face.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"Just after ten." He answered as he continued to toy with my hair. His stomach rumbled under me and I giggled.

"So, do you have any food in this house?" I asked.

"Uh…I'm sure I have something," he sounded embarrassed. "I wasn't expecting a guest so I just have the normal crap I buy. I could take you out to breakfast though."

I laughed and sat up from the bed shaking my head at the idea of running into Leah at the local diner where she worked. "Let's go see what you have to work with," I said. I giggled as he tried to pull me back into bed, his face in full pout.

"No. Let's just stay here, we don't need food."

"Well, I don't know about you, but I've worked up a bit of an appetite in the last twelve hours." I pulled back on his arm and he let me drag him out of bed. I was struck again by how beautiful his body was. His long lean muscles were sexy as hell and I found myself ogling him as he climbed out of bed after me.

He wrapped his arms around my naked waist and pulled me against him. "Like what you see?" He asked playfully as he kissed at my neck. He seemed to enjoy kissing me there, not that I could complain. I just hummed in response. I pulled away and threw on a shirt I found lying on the chair near the window. When I looked outside I gasped. It must have snowed at least a foot overnight.

"What is it baby?" Edward asked, coming to look out from over my shoulder. "Oh wow. I guess we're stuck here for a bit. Let's see what I have to eat downstairs." He pulled me after him. He had thrown on some soft flannel pants and a dark blue Henley. Somehow he made that look sexy.

I poked through the fridge and found the makings for a pretty decent omelet. Edward had gone out to stock up the wood pile while I made breakfast. As I was rummaging around in his cupboard looking for coffee or tea his phone started to ring again. I was tempted to answer it, but if it was his sister that would be awkward. My hand landed triumphantly on a box of decent tea when I heard the ringing cut off and Edward's voice murmuring down the hall. I finished up breakfast and set it out on the table with a pot of tea and some mugs.

I hadn't heard Edward speak for a while so I figured his call had ended. I went in search of him. I called out, "breakfast is ready, baby. Are you hungry?" As I rounded the corner into the living room I realized two things at once. One, Edward was still on the phone and two, he looked alarmed to see me standing there.

"Ali…" he said quietly. "Ali!" he nearly shouted. "I can't answer you if you don't stop squealing!" He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes tightly. He clearly wasn't ready for her to know about me, which kind of hurt after everything we'd said to each other. I started to back out of the room so he could finish his call, but he grabbed my wrist gently and pulled me back toward him.

He looked at me with a soft smile as he spoke. "Her name is Bella and we just met, but she's important to me, Ali." He paused and I could her high pitched squeaking from the other end. "Ali, calm down. I know you're excited. I'll call you later and we can talk about it more…no….no…Ali! No, you cannot talk to her now. We're going to have breakfast now. I'll call you later. Love you." He said the last part in a loud rush before quickly ending the call. Almost immediately his phone started vibrating with incoming texts. Edward huffed out a large breath before turning off his phone and slid it onto the end table.

"She's a little excited at the prospect of me rejoining the living," he said shyly.

I smiled sadly. "I'm sorry. I thought you were done when I didn't hear you talking for a while. I would never have…"

"Baby, it's okay," he said pulling me closer to him by the soft grip he had on my hips. "I would never have kept you a secret. I was trying to work up to telling her, but she doesn't always leave a lot of room in the conversation for others. She's…very energetic." He ran his hand through his hair nervously. "Do you mind that she knows about us? Will you tell your family about us?" He sounded so uncertain and vulnerable it made my heart ache.

"I don't mind, Edward. I want people to know about us." I answered quietly. "As for my family. I will tell them, but they won't really understand. They barely know me anymore and I think they still see me as that fifteen year old girl they sent away to college." His eyes got wide at my statement and I realized how much we still had to talk about. We had fallen so effortlessly into this and we felt so at ease together, it was easy to forget how little we knew about each other's lives.

"Come on," I said pulling him from the room before he could ask me more questions. "Breakfast is getting cold and who knows when we'll next be able to get to civilization to renew our supplies. We don't want to resort to eating the canned hash I found at the back of your pantry," I joked.

"I have canned meat in my pantry? Who knew?" he said as we approached the kitchen table. "Oh wow! You made this from the random crap I had in my kitchen?" he looked down at the table I'd set.

"Well it's nothing fancy, just cheddar, onion, and tomato omelets with bacon and toast. You have more in there than you led me to believe."

We sat down and Edward dug into his food without hesitation. He moaned loudly as he chewed his first bite. I stopped and stared at this handsome face. His eyes were closed as he savored his food.

"Mmmm. So good baby." He moaned between bites. I sat slightly stunned, more than a little turned on by his sounds, which brought back vivid memories from last night and this morning. He opened his eyes which darkened as he caught my expression. I shook my head to clear the haze and took a bite of my eggs.

"So…" he began hesitantly. "You started college at fifteen? That explains some things."

"Yeah. I don't really talk about it much; I hate being treated like a freak, you know?" I responded.

"Wow. So you're like a super genius?" he teased.

"Not really." I shrugged. "I have an eidetic memory and I'm tenacious as hell so that helps. I'm not really all that smart, but I do well academically. We'll see how it holds up in the real world. I've always thought people overvalued my intelligence, but I've been happy to take advantage of all the opportunities it's afforded me."

"You're pretty modest for a super-genius," he laughed. "So college at fifteen and then what?"

"Um, well, I got a full ride to U Dub. I finished there when I was seventeen and then I moved to start my work at M.I.T. I've been lucky enough to have my education paid for. I'm not sure I would be so far along otherwise.

My father never really saved for me and my mom is sort of flakey. I'm not sure she's ever saved for anything in her life. That would require far too much follow-through." I chuckled wryly at the thought of my free-spirited mother. She wasn't really cut out for taking care of anyone, including herself.

"Wow. That sucks, baby. I hate that they wouldn't have supported you in school if you needed them. But it's amazing what you've done by yourself. You're amazing," he reached over and ran his fingers softly along my inner arm, his words making me blush.

"So what about you?" I asked. "You weren't always a grumpy hermit. What was your life like before Forks?"

He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Uh, yeah, I was pretty normal actually. I grew up in Chicago with my folks. When I was fourteen my parents had my brother Emmett and they had my sister Alice a year later. You see, they had me when they were pretty young, but they loved each other and they had a lot of support from their families so they made it work. They waited until their careers were really going before they started trying for more kids. And then it took them a while to conceive. So I'm close with my siblings, but in a weird older uncle kind of way," he laughed.

I smiled sadly, "It sounds a bit lonely, like my childhood."

"No, it wasn't too bad. My folks were so loving and great I never felt like I was missing anything. I did get a bit jealous watching how close Emmett and Ali were as kids. It looked like a fun way to grow up. But I got spoiled with all the attention as a kid so I can't complain." He paused and his expression turned tender. "Your parents split up when you were a kid? That must have been tough on you."

"Yeah. It was. They had me when they were pretty much kids themselves, just out of high school. My mom was pregnant through the end of their senior year actually. They lasted three years together before they decided to call it quits. I went to live with my mom in Phoenix initially and that was okay until she decided I was old enough to take care of myself."

"How old was that?" he asked warily.

"I think I was about seven when she started leaving me home alone a lot. She was lucky I was such a self-sufficient kid. No one noticed the extent of her neglect until I was ten. That's when I came to live with my dad."

"What happened?" he asked, concern filling his voice.

"Uh. She had gone away with one of her boyfriends for the weekend to Vegas. I was home alone, which wasn't unusual at the time, but she usually had a friend check on me if she was going to be away for more than a day. Anyhow, there was a fire in our apartment building in the middle of the night. I evacuated when I heard the alarms and people shouting for everyone to get out. We were out, watching from across the street when some neighbors started freaking out because they saw me, but they thought my mom was still inside the building. When I told the firefighters that my mom wasn't home, that she was away for the weekend, they called social services.

I was in a wretched foster home for about three weeks before they got things cleared up and sent me to live with Charlie. When they assessed me at the middle school in Forks they put me on an accelerated path and that's where I stayed until I was fifteen and I moved to Seattle."

"How could Charlie be ignorant of how bad things were with your mom? How did your school in Phoenix miss that?" There was an anger in his voice that I hadn't heard before.

"Well," I paused for a minute, choosing my words carefully, trying to give Edward as accurate a picture of my mom as possible. I knew he wasn't going to like the story of my childhood, but we seemed to be functioning on total honesty so far and it seemed to be working for us. "Renee is really charming and she comes across as flakey, but sweet. That plus I was really good at keeping track of school paperwork, bills and running the house from a young age. We just flew under the radar for a while. She's not evil; she just should never have had a kid.

"She can barely take care of herself. She remarried a few years ago and Phil, her new husband, was trying to talk her into having another baby, but I think she learned her lesson with me. She knows she fucked up, but she's never really done anything to make amends for it. I can't hold onto any bitterness about it though. It's just too tiring."

Edward had pulled us into the living room after we finished breakfast. We were settled on the chair in front of the fire, much like we started out last night. His hold on me grew tighter as I told him about my childhood and my family.

"Okay that's enough about me." I said quietly. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Anything." He said without hesitation.

"What happened to your Dad? You never talk about him. Is he still in your life?"

Edward heaved a heavy sigh before saying, "My dad died when I was about your age. He was a surgeon and he'd been working long hours over Thanksgiving weekend, taking on extra shifts for colleagues so he could take time when I was home over Christmas break instead. He had a fatal car accident on his way home from the hospital. They concluded that he likely fell asleep at the wheel and drove into a guardrail. He died on impact."

We were quiet for a while before he spoke again. "I don't really let myself think about him much. It was so hard losing him, but it was infinitely more painful to lose my mom. I guess I feel guilty that I mourn her more than I do him. It's not that I didn't love him as much; we were always really close. It's just that it's…." He paused, seeming to struggle with his words. "…it's just that there is something incredibly intimate about caring for someone when they're dying. It was eighteen months of my life that I spent with her in her most vulnerable time. That time with her fundamentally altered me. When she died I was lost. And I feel like I've been drifting until yesterday when I met you. You woke me up."

I pulled away from his firm hold on my shoulders so that I could see his face. I ghosted my hand over his cheek, wiping away the lone tear rolling down his face. I wished I could absorb all of his pain for him just as easily as I'd dismissed the tear. We sat in comfortable silence for a while, processing all that we'd shared with one another. I rested my head back against his chest and he slowly stroked my hair.

A soft buzzing broke through our quiet reveries. It was coming from somewhere below us. I realized that it was probably my phone and that our little bubble would probably be burst by whoever was calling me. I climbed off Edward's lap and pawed through my pants, which still rested on the floor, until I found my phone buried in the pocket. Looking at the display I sighed in relief.

"Hey Ange." I answered.

"Don't you hey me, smart-girl! Where the hell are you? I got your text and I totally covered for you when your dad called my house this morning so you owe me the deets! Did you really go home with Mr. Hottie from the bar last night? Spill!" Her excited voice was a sharp contrast to the quiet contemplative mood she had interrupted.

"Thanks for that. I really don't think Charlie would approve of my choices so far this visit. And yes, I did."

"What? That's all I get. No way sweetie! I straight up lied to the chief of police. You owe me proper details!"

"Ange it's not like it's the first time you've lied to him," I reasoned.

"It is since I've been an upstanding adult citizen of this town. All teenagers make poor choices, but I have no excuse now!" She shouted.

I chucked at her agitation. "Hey he would probably just blame me for corrupting you! You have nothing to worry about."

"Why are you stalling? Share something! Please!" She begged.

I looked over at Edward who was watching me with amused interest. I smiled up at him. I remembered what he'd told his sister earlier. I kept my eyes on his as I spoke. "His name is Edward. He's amazing. I know that we just met but, he's important to me." The brilliant smile that flashed on his face was so distracting that I missed Ange's response.

"What did you say?" I asked.

"I _said_ that's amazing and crazy!" She laughed. "But tell me the dirty details. I need to live vicariously through your sexy single girl adventures. Plus, I'm preggers and so, so, horny all the time which is highly inconvenient when your house is full to the brim with family!"

"Um, no. I'm not talking about that with you. Sorry. Nice try playing the pregnant card, though."

"Why not!" She whined. "Was it bad? Please tell me it wasn't bad. You deserve to have good sex. I don't think you've ever had good sex. Certainly not with Jacob Black. No one that selfish can be a good lover. It's just not possible."

I burst out into a fit of laughter. She wasn't wrong. "Oh my god, Angela!" I said through my laughter, "I'm so not having this conversation with you!" I knew my face was flaming red and Edward's smug smile told me he knew exactly where this conversation had headed.

"Listen I'm gonna go. I'll call you later, okay." I was hoping rather than believing that she'd let me go without argument.

"Why? OH MY GOD!" she screeched and I pulled the phone away from my ear and winced. "You're still with him, aren't you? It's like noon. Charlie is going to be so pissed when you finally turn up."

"Okay. I'm going now. Love you bye." I hung up quickly, taking a page out of Edward's book for dealing with nosey, well-meaning loved ones.

I squeezed my eyes shut tight and willed my embarrassment away. I peeked over at Edward through my cringe. His face was full of mirth and it was impossible to stay embarrassed when my horrifying conversation obviously brought him such joy.

"Well she's tenaciously nosey," I sighed.

He chuckled in response.

"We should probably avoid allowing her and Alice to be in the same room together. I think it would be disastrous and highly painful for the two of us." I laughed. "So I have a question." I began. "How likely do you think it is that I can get to Charlie's house today?" I watched his face fall at the question. I got up from the floor and rejoined him on the chair, straddling his thighs. I ran my hand through his lovely hair and said, "I don't want to go. You know that, right? I wouldn't if I could avoid it."

He heaved a sigh and said, "I know, but it doesn't make it any easier to let you go. I just found you." His eyes searched mine for a moment, looking for what, I wasn't sure. "I have a guy who usually plows when it snows. He's usually here by morning, but we don't usually get this much snow. He's probably running a bit behind schedule. After her clears the drive I can take you home." He looked so saddened by the prospect.

"If it wasn't Christmas Eve I'd just stay and let Charlie flip out, but I have to spend today and tomorrow with him. He'd be so hurt if I didn't." My eyes begged him to understand that I hated to leave him alone on Christmas. "You could come by if you want. I promise it'll be ripe with uncomfortable social situations and disapproving glares from my ex, but I would always be happy to have you there."

 **EPOV**

I sighed and closed my eyes, trying to sort through my anxiety at the idea of Bella leaving. I had been self-reliant for the better part of seven years, but now that I had found this girl, the idea of two days apart was giving me a minor panic attack. I opened my eyes to her worried expression. I couldn't insert myself into her already strained family gathering. It would become all about us if I did and that wasn't fair to her. She deserved this time with her father after such a long separation.

"No, I'll be okay. I'm used to being here alone for holidays. Alice and Emmett tried to visit a few years back, but I think I just depressed them. They tend to get together back east for Christmas. Our family has a condo in New York and Alice likes to be there when she's not in school."

"Where does Emmett live now?" She asked.

"He hasn't really settled down. He's always traveling, in search of his next adventure. I think he keeps most of his stuff at the condo in New York these days, but he's rarely there according to Alice."

"Alright, well I have to touch base with my dad or he'll start harassing Angela," she said resigned. "It's a good thing I finally learned to lie convincingly or I'd be in a world of trouble. I used to be dreadful at it. I think Charlie prefers being ignorant of my life details these days, so that makes things easier." I chuckled at the idea of sweet teenaged Bella failing miserably at lying to her stern, cop father.

She scrolled through her phone and selected his number. With her sitting so close to me, I could easily hear her father answer, "Hey Bells, are you still at Angela's?"

"Yeah Charlie, I'll be home in a couple of hours. I'm just helping her out a bit with a few things. When do you get home from work?" she lied smoothly.

"Oh that's nice. She's a sweet girl and a good friend." He mused. "I should be home around five, but my girls are home if you want to hang out with them." She visibly cringed at his statement. Why would he exclude her from 'his girls' so casually? Didn't he know how shitty that sounded to his daughter?

"They're baking cookies. I know how you always loved to bake this time of year," he continued. She smiled slightly, but her eyes still held the same sadness.

"Okay Dad. I'll try to get back there as soon as I can," she said.

"Alright Bells. Tell Angela to be careful on the roads," he warned. "I know it's not far, but that's no reason to be careless."

"Don't worry. Ben will bring me home in his truck. He's always really careful."

"Well okay then. See you tonight," he said.

"Bye Dad."

After hanging up she looked up at me as I casually played with the ends of her hair.

"Well, we have a couple of hours before I have to be home. Whatever should we do to fill the time?" She asked coyly.

"How does a shower sound?" I asked, matching her tone.

"Sounds perfect," she answered.

I scooped her up quickly as I stood and started toward the stairs. She squealed and clung to me at the unexpected move. "Edward, I really am more than capable of managing your stairs on my own, you know?" she exclaimed, slightly breathless.

I didn't answer, instead choosing to lean down and press a firm kiss on her lips. She moaned loudly in response. I navigated the stairs without removing my lips from hers. We shared an unreasonably long shower in which I had her falling apart against the cold tile with my lips and tongue buried between her thighs as she tugged at my hair.

After we'd dried off and dressed, she headed back down to the kitchen in search of more tea, while I finished up a few things upstairs. She was gazing out the window, sipping her steaming mug of tea when I found her. I slipped my arms around her slim waist and held her firmly against my chest.

"So he got the drive cleared," I observed sadly, my chin resting on her shoulder. "I guess this means I have to take you home now."

She turned her head to kiss my cheek, but I needed more. Turning my head to meet her lips with my own, she yelped slightly in surprise. I spun her around to face me as she set her mug on the counter, freeing up her hands to come to rest against my chest. There was a desperation to our kisses and I knew she too was afraid that the spell between us would be somehow broken once she returned to the real world.

"It'll be okay," she whispered as I pulled my lips away from hers. She waited for my eyes to meet her own and I could see without a doubt the sincerity of her words. "What we've found is real, baby. It's new and we're figuring it out still, so that makes it vulnerable. I know that scares you. It scares me too," I nodded slightly in acknowledgement. She somehow saw into me, gave a voice to my fears perfectly.

Our gaze held as she continued, "I have shared things with you that I have never shared with anyone. I feel things for you that I didn't know I could. I didn't know that things could be like this and now that I do, I'm not letting you go without a fight." Her eyes were burning with intensity.

"I'm not letting go either." I said, my voice rough with emotion. "I can't imagine going back to the numb, broken man I've been living as. I know I have to sort out my own head before I can be what you deserve, but I want to do that. I want to make a life with you instead of hiding away from life. I'm yours, Bella, for as long as you'll have me."

"Forever. I'll want you forever, Edward." she declared.

When I pulled the car up to her father's house half an hour later I clutched her hand and kissed her knuckles softly. She looked toward the house with a resigned expression. I tried to push aside the dread I was feeling about her returning to this house that seemed to cause her so much pain.

"You have my number and you can call me anytime you need to. I mean that, baby. Never be afraid to call me. I will always answer."

She leaned over the console to place a soft kiss on my lips. "I know and thank you. I'll be fine though. I can get through a couple of days with my family."

"Even if you just need someone to listen while you vent, I'll be there. Okay?" I brushed the hair back from her face and caressed her cheek as I spoke. "Please don't hesitate to ask for what you need baby. I mean it when I say I'm here for you. I'll be here in ten minutes if you need me. Night or day."

"Okay." She moved to open the door, but I caught her arm gently.

"So I can book something for us? You said any time after the 27th is okay?"

She sighed, "Yes, but please don't spend too much. I hate the idea of you spending so much on me. And I need to be back in Cambridge by the 17th at the absolute latest."

"I'm spending it on us, baby. It's my Christmas present to us." I grinned at her and chuckled at the indignant huff of air that escaped her.

"I guess I'd better get in there before Charlie gets home."

I kissed her one last time and she left the car.

The cottage seemed lonely and quieter than ever before when I returned. Each sound I made, from dropping my keys in the bowl by the door to kicking off my boots, seemed to echo loudly, breaking the silence. I decided there was only one way I was getting through the next two days without going completely mad. I made my way upstairs into my studio. A heavy coat of dust covered everything, a stark reminder of my neglect. I pulled the cover off of my piano, careful not to flood the room with dust. I sat at the bench for the first time in more than a year. My fingers danced softly across the keys and I winced at how badly it needed tuning. After warming up my fingers a bit, I set about taking care of the beautiful piano my mother had bought me when I graduated from Juilliard.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you again for the reviews! Here's a long chapter for you, with just a twist of citrus. Enjoy!**

 **Obvs: I do not own twilight, but if I did I'd probably be somewhere warm sunny right now.**

 **BPOV**

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the favorite daughter." Leah sneered as I kicked off my boots by the front door. She stood in the doorway to the kitchen, dishtowel over her shoulder and her hip cocked in her typical superior fashion. "What's wrong, got tired of whoring it up around town and decided to grace us with your esteemed presence?" God, she and Jacob must be working from the same lame script.

"Leah, don't start. Just leave me alone and I'll do my best to stay out of your path," I sighed. It was exhausting dealing with her even though I knew every word that left her mouth was jealous bullshit. That knowledge didn't make it more fun to endure.

"As if you could keep out of the way. We all have to walk on eggshells while you're here so as not to offend the precious princess," she spat.

I snorted. "This is you walking on eggshells Leah? You must have ground them to a fine powder by now," I laughed incredulously as I circumvented her attempt to block my path.

"Keep running bitch. It's what you do so well!" She shouted after me. "Not sure what you hoped to gain by coming back. Nobody fucking wants you here!" I knew she must be the only one home. Though my lovely step-sister isn't shy about her dislike for me, she would never do anything so brazen in front of anyone else. God forbid everyone knew what a crazy, spiteful creature she'd become. She saved that uncensored version of herself for our special sister bonding time.

I retreated to a quiet corner in my dad and Sue's room. In the wingback chair by the window, I curled up and tried to make sense of the latest research results Dr. Banner had sent to me before I left town. I must have been absorbed in my work for some time because I didn't notice the sky darkening until my eyes began to ache. I realized I could hear soft voices from the kitchen floating upstairs. Safe in the knowledge that I was no longer alone with Leah I stepped out into the hall.

Listening at the top of the stairs, I heard Seth, Sue and my dad chatting freely with my dear sis. I made my way down quietly and watched them from the doorway as they laughed and bantered with ease. My chest tightened at the sight of the happy family I would never belong to. Even if Leah wasn't constantly slinging bitterness and hate in my direction, I would never feel truly part of this family. They had created something new after I'd left home. It was so distinctly separate from what Charlie and I had formed together and he was happier for it.

Seth looked up and caught my eye. He smiled brightly and asked, "Hey sis, where you been hiding?"

Leah rolled her eyes and turned sullenly toward the stove to stir a large pot filled with something that smelled delicious. I ignored her as usual, focusing on the open, kind face of my step-brother. "I was just upstairs getting some work done while I had a quiet moment."

"How's school going kiddo?" My dad asked. I knew his interest was genuine, but I also knew he wanted the simple version. Charlie had no interest and little patience for discussing my research.

"It's going well, Dad. Just a year or two more and I'm done." I felt myself smiling at the idea of completing my degree. I knew he would never really understand, but earning my PhD was something I had wanted since I'd discovered my love of science. I heard Leah's quiet, derisive snort from the stove. Either I was the only one to hear it, which is doubtful, or everyone chose to ignore her.

"It smells wonderful in here," I said sincerely, moving further into the room.

"Yeah, thanks for offering to help with dinner, Bella. It's so refreshing how you're always thinking of everyone else." Leah griped over her shoulder.

"I'm sorry Leah. When I came in you seemed to be well in control of things," I answered, insincerity lacing my words.

Charlie cleared his throat in an effort to clear the tension from the room. After a moment he spoke, "So Leah, what time are we expecting Jake."

My face paled at the thought of seeing Jacob again after his irrational verbal attack last night. I looked over to see Leah watching me with a sadistic grin as she replied, "He should be here any minute. He didn't think he could get over until later, but he missed me too much to stay away." Of course she'd misconstrued my anxiety to be the result of jealousy. Never one to give up an opportunity to twist the knife, that girl. I had to hold back my laughter at her failed attempt as I made my way to the table, sitting between Seth and my dad.

"Bella, I know you don't get back here to see us much, with all of your super important work and all, but that is my seat." She seethed possessively.

"Leah…" Sue admonished hesitantly.

"No, she has no right to come here and take over like she does!"

"Hey, I'm happy to move." I said with a casual shrug. "I just assumed you'd want to sit over there with your fiancé, since he'll be joining us." I pointed over to the only space where two chairs were free next to each other.

"Fine." She spat.

This night was going to be unbearable. Maybe I should have taken Edward up on his offer to hide me in his house for the foreseeable future.

 **EPOV**

It was nearly eight and I was still puttering around my studio. Bella had been gone for several hours now and I'd been doing my best to keep myself occupied. I heard my phone chime with a new text and I rolled my eyes. The first few times I had grabbed it up eagerly, hoping for a message from Bella. After at least fifteen texts from my sister and six from my brother, I was far less eager to interrupt my work now that I was actually making some progress. I can't remember the last time I felt inspired to play, much less compose. But today everything just came pouring out of me and every note I played was for Bella.

Three more chimes interrupting the notes flowing from my fingers had me throwing up my arms in exasperation. Alice was such an annoying little sprite. I would normally just turn my phone off, but I was still worrying about Bella. I snatched up my phone, ready to write a vicious, cutting reply, when my breath caught at the name on the screen. I had four new texts in the last ten minutes from my Bella. They seemed to get increasingly agitated as they progressed.

B: **_God this sucks. Why did we ever have to leave your bed this morning?_**

B: **_Leah's being extra special today. I'm regretting getting her a x-mas present at the moment. Maybe I should just keep it._**

B: **_Okay, I'm gonna fuck me up a bitch….seriously, I need you to remind me what my reward is for surviving this crap. And also I may be listening to Beyonce's Lemonade too much…maybe._**

B: **_Did you forget me already? I can't stop thinking about you. God I sound pathetic_**

I couldn't stand how affected she was by Leah's bullshit. She'd told me a bit about how contentious their relationship was and some of the stories she'd told were on the scary side. I realized that I was pacing furiously and clutching my phone tightly in my hand. I was warring with myself, vacillating between texting her back something reassuring and supportive or just racing out to rescue her. Her next text had me grabbing for my keys.

B: **_oh joy Jacob just arrived. Things should be so much easier now. Have I mentioned that I miss you?_**

As I was sliding into my car I thought I should at least text her to give her a heads up that I was coming. I would hate to show up and make things worse for her.

E: **_Baby, you okay? I can come there and pick you up or join you if you want._**

Her reply was nearly instant.

B: **_mmmm…that sounds amazing. I want to crawl back in bed with you and stay there._**

B: ** _but stay home where you're warm. I'm okay. I may be calling you to comfort me later tho_**

E: **_Are you sure?_**

E: ** _I'm sort of already in the car. I'm worried about you. Is Jacob giving you shit? Are you safe? Your dad's there right?_**

B **:** ** _Don't worry. I'm fine. Yes dad's here, but he might as well not be tho. Been staring at the TV since dinner._**

B: ** _At least jacob missed dinner. He got hung up at his sisters or something. I'll sneak off to Seth's room if it gets bad. I'll call when I can. Might be late. Will you be up?_**

E: **_ok. I still hate that you're unhappy. Call anytime. I mean it. ANYTIME. I'll be up._**

B: **_ok. And thanks for caring. Xoxo_**

I huffed out a burst of air in frustration. How could Bella's father ignore how horrible his step-daughter was? Bella insisted that Charlie just didn't ever see the bad stuff, but I had my doubts. He seemed pretty self-involved to me, at least when it came to Bella.

I sighed and dragged myself into the house. The warm air felt stifling after being out in crisp winter chill. I rooted around in my kitchen for a bit in search of dinner. My hand landed on the canned hash Bella had mentioned at breakfast causing me to grin like a fool. It did look disgusting; I really didn't remember buying it. I found some canned minestrone and settled on that. After my sad Christmas Eve dinner I decided it was time to face my nosey sister. If I put her off too long she'd be on a plane out here, holiday plans be damned.

She picked up on the first ring.

"Where the hell have you been?" she screeched.

"I've been busy," I muttered defensively.

"You couldn't drop me one little text to let me know you were ok? I was worried." I wanted to be annoyed, but I could hear the true concern in her voice.

"I'm sorry Ali. I got busy in the studio and I—" I began.

"WAIT! You're playing again? How long has this been going on?" She demanded.

I hadn't realized how aware she was of my dry spell with music. I had just avoided talking about music for so long she never brought it up anymore. "Um, just today," I said quietly.

"It's this girl isn't it?" She was back to squealing and I was pretty sure I could hear clapping now too. "She's got you playing again. She must be special. Tell me all about her. How did you meet her? How long have you known her? When can I meet her?"

"Jesus Ali! Take a breath before you pass out," I laughed. "I just met her last night. We got to talking at the local bar and we talked for hours last night and today. I know it sounds nuts, but I really care about her already. She's incredible. She's so smart and sweet and sexy…" I trailed off. My chest aching at how much I already missed my girl. I had to figure something out for when she went back to Cambridge. I couldn't just let her go.

"Awww. You're so gone for her already. What does she do?" she asked, slightly more subdued.

"Uh…she's a student. She's finishing up her PhD in bioengineering." I somehow hoped we could avoid the whole age thing, but I knew that was wishful thinking.

"So she's younger than you then? Not that I'm judging. She must be in her late twenties or did she delay school a bit?" she asked.

I laughed nervously. "Yeah she's younger. Honestly I would never have let myself think of her like this if I had realized how young she was, but I was in too deep before I knew. I'm not sure I could stay away from her if I tried now." I was pulling so hard at my hair by this point I was probably going to start balding.

"Edward it's not that big of a deal. It happens all the time. Stop beating yourself up. I can hear your self-disgust from here. What is she like twenty-six? Twenty-seven?"

I sighed and muttered, "Twenty-one," as quietly as I could.

"What did you say? Edward I can't understand you when you mumble."

"Twenty-one. She's twenty-one Alice." I heard her gasp and the silence that followed was painful.

"Say something Ali. Please." I begged.

"How…..how is she already finishing up her doctorate? And OH. MY. GOD EDWARD! She's younger than me!" She shouted.

"Ugh. I know Ali, I know. I'm such a creep, but I….I love her." I admitted for the first time. I'd been thinking it non-stop since I'd met her, but it had seemed so absurd that I could feel this way so fast.

She gasped again, "You love her?"

"Yeah." I said quietly, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"You've known her a day, Edward. Are you sure you love her. I know it's been a long time since you were with anyone— "

"Mary Alice, I love her. I've never felt this way before. Not for Tanya, not for anyone. I may be conflicted and confused about a lot of things, but I know that I'm in love with Bella Swan." I heard a sharp intake of breath from my sister at my outburst. I hadn't meant to yell at her, but I didn't like her rationalizing away my feelings.

"Oh, Edward. I'm sorry. I just worry about you so much." She said softly. "These last few years you've just drifted further and further from life, shutting yourself off from everything. I'm happy for you, really. I don't care how old she is if you feel this strongly for her. She must be special."

"She is special, Ali, so special to me."

We were quiet for a minute. I could tell Alice was processing everything and I was trying my best to be patient.

"So, um, where does she go to school? Seattle? I mean there's nothing closer to Forks, right?" She finally asked. I knew this was Ali's way of showing her acceptance.

"Actually she's at M.I.T. She's just here for the week visiting family."

"That's so awesome! Oh my god, does this mean you're moving out here!" She sounded like she might explode with excitement and I had to laugh at her infectious enthusiasm.

"I don't know. I think so? We're going to go away for a couple weeks after Christmas. I'm not sure where yet. I have to do some research tonight. But after that I was hoping I could stay at the house in Cambridge with you."

"Brother dear, it's your house in Cambridge. Of course you can stay. Besides the place is huge. You can have the third floor to yourself if you want. I never go up there." She hid the sadness in her voice well, but I heard it when she was referring to the rooms my parents used to stay in at the house when it was theirs. She quickly moved on, her voice bright again, "where are you taking her? The Paris apartment is a good choice, but she'd need a passport. Does she have a passport?" she was on a roll now, barely pausing for breath. "Or there's Emmett's place in the Keys. He hasn't been down there in ages. He wouldn't mind you borrowing it for a couple of weeks. Or my house in Hawaii is an option- Oh wait! I've got it. Take her to the island!" Her voice rose to an inhuman octave at her last idea.

I had to admit it was a good idea. The three of us were entrusted with a small island off the coast of Brazil when my mother died. It had been a gift from my father for their twentieth anniversary. They had only been able to go twice before he died. We all went as a family the year before his death.

"That's not a bad idea. Wouldn't it be hard to get that arranged this time of year?" I'd have to ask Bella if she has her passport with her. I try to keep mine up to date in case Emmett does something crazy while he's off in Singapore or something. You never know when he's going to need someone to bail him out or bribe someone.

"No, leave it to me. Email me dates and any other details and I'll handle everything. It'll be my Christmas present to you and Bella." I laughed because Ali always sent me loads of presents, mostly clothes and food. I had already gotten the first two boxes of clothes and I knew that was just the start.

"Like you haven't already gotten me tons of other stuff," I laughed.

"But this is special. I never have a chance to do anything like this for you. It would make me so happy. Please let me."

"Okay Ali, I'll send you our info. But nothing too extravagant. Bella doesn't really know too much about all the money yet. I'm not sure how she'll take it." I knew it would make her uncomfortable from what I'd learned about her so far. She wasn't used to people providing for her or taking care of her. That was going to have to change, but I knew it might be a slow process.

"I'm sure she'll get over whatever her issues are. I mean, one day of shopping with me should be enough to show her the benefits of being a Cullen," she laughed.

"Alice, I don't think that'll work for Bella. She's nothing like Tanya." I was pretty sure I heard her mutter 'thank god for that' under her breath. I chose to ignore it. Instead I was reveling in the idea of Bella being a Cullen. Good god, I've known the girl twenty-four hours and I was already thinking of marriage. What the hell is wrong with me? "She's been taking care of herself for a long time. It'll be an adjustment to her to accept help or gifts from us. I want to ease her into the whole wealth thing."

"Well don't you think the private tropical island might clue her in?" she sounded exasperated.

"Yeah. I'll think of something. I just don't want to scare her off Ali. I can't lose her." The desperation in my voice was pathetic.

"You won't Edward. Trust in her feelings for you. She has to accept you for who you are and part of that is the family you come from. And, if she hurts you, I will hunt her down and make her sorry she ever met you." Fuck, Alice was scary when she wanted to be, but it was impossible not to adore her loyalty.

"Thanks Ali. You're sweet, frightening, but sweet. I should go, but I'll send you that stuff right away. Let me know if you need anything else."

"Alright, Bro. Love ya." She said cheerfully. "Oh and Edward?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm really happy for you. You deserve happiness. Don't be scared of it."

"I'll try, Ali, but I'll admit this is all terrifying." With that we hung up. I shot a quick text to Emmett so he'd stop bugging me. Hopefully he would just talk to the pixie so I wouldn't have to repeat myself too much. I sent a short text to my girl to make sure she had a passport with her. She immediately confirmed that she did. This was followed by several messages trying to ferret out information on where we were going. I put her off with vague, cryptic replies until she stopped trying. I hope she wasn't too annoyed with me later.

I pocketed my phone and headed back up to my studio. I sat at the small desk there and fired up my laptop. I sent a quick email to Ali and then navigated to the website I wanted. I knew that I needed to get Bella a gift before our trip, but I wanted it to be something special, something that would make up for the fact that her family had utterly failed her this Christmas. I quickly found what I wanted and ordered it with expedited processing and shipping. It should be here by the 26th. I couldn't resist ordering her a few other small things before closing my laptop.

Trying to waste some time until I might reasonably hear from my girl, I took a long, hot shower. I couldn't help but relive the vivid memory of my shower with Bella this morning. I stroked my aching cock as I remembered her stunning face as I made her shudder and scream with pleasure against the cold tile wall. I came hard against that same tile wall and washed away the evidence of my release.

After dressing in my flannel lounge pants, I grabbed my book and waited in bed for Bella to call. I had nearly given up hope that she would call tonight when my phone buzzed to life on my chest where it rested.

"Hey baby." I answered, my voice rough from lack of use.

"I'm sorry, Edward. Did I wake you?" my girl sounded so sad.

"No. I was just reading in bed."

"Hmmm," she hummed. "That sounds nice. I wish I was there with you."

"Me too, love." I sighed.

"I'm sorry it's so late. I had to wait for everyone to leave or go to bed. Just one of the many perks of sleeping in the living room. I know Leah and Jacob were just hanging around to piss me off." I growled low in response. I looked over at the clock. It was half past one. The Asshole was constantly living up to his name. "Thank god for Seth or I would have been forced maim someone," she laughed bitterly.

"Oh Love, did they just leave now? It's really late."

"Yeah. I know. I can put up with it for another day," she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. I imagined her there, on her father's ancient couch, curled up in her pjs under some old threadbare quilt. "Soooo…" she dragged out the word tentatively.

"So?"

"I was thinking…if you were open to it. That I might tell my family that I got space on an earlier flight…if it's okay…I could come and stay with you tomorrow night." I beamed at the idea that she missed me as much as I missed her. I knew that her family was making her miserable and she needed out of there, but still, I was the safe place she wanted to retreat to.

"Baby of course you can come here. All I've been doing today is trying to distract myself from how much I miss you," I told her honestly.

She laughed. "I would have texted you more, but I didn't want to bug you too much. Well that and I was pretty sure Jake was trying to spy on me to see who I was writing to. That man is crazy."

"Can I ask you what happened with him? Why did you break up?" I didn't really want to hear about her being with him, or anyone else for that matter, but I didn't like his possessiveness over her. I needed to understand how they left things. I had to make sure my girl was safe.

"Can we talk about it in person later? I never know if I'm alone here," she whispered sadly.

"Of course, Love. I don't mean to push. He just seems to be a big part of your family life still so it would help to understand."

"You're not…Edward, you're not jealous of Jacob are you?" she asked.

"Well, yeah of course I'm jealous." I answered honestly. "I'm jealous that he met you first, that he loved you first, that he was your first. I can't help it, I know it's my inner caveman coming out, but I hate that he's known you like that. It would be easier if he wasn't such a prick." I worked to soften my tone of the irritation that always filled it when I spoke of the Asshole. "I'm not worried about us or about you wanting him now, though. It's a different kind of jealousy, I guess."

"I can get that. But you have so many more exes than I do, I'm sure. I hate the idea of you with anyone else too," she said softly.

"I don't have as many exes as you might think. Voluntarily celibate for the last six years, remember." I chuckled.

"Maybe we should just have one big talk about past relationships, air all our dirty laundry, if you will. I know we'd still have things come up, but at least we'd both have a better idea of where the other is coming from."

"You really are a genius, baby." I smiled. I hated the idea of having to tell her all the crap about my past, but I knew we needed to share this with each other. "We have the next couple of weeks together, so we'll have plenty of time to share our dirty laundry as you called it."

"Oh yeah, did you pick a place for our vacation? You were asking about my passport," she asked eagerly. I loved the sound of that, 'our vacation'.

"Yeah actually, I did." I said vaguely.

"Well…are you going to share details?" she asked impatiently.

"No," I teased, "I don't think I will. I think I'll keep you in suspense."

"But," she whined sweetly, "we've discussed this. I hate surprises."

"Well. I think you're just going to have to get used to them from now on. I rather like the idea of surprising you." I knew she was getting annoyed, but I just couldn't help myself.

"Edward," she cooed softly. I immediately felt my cock stiffen at the sultry tone of her voice. "Won't you tell me, baby. Please." The last word was practically a breathy moan. Flashes of her begging me for more as she writhed under me assaulted my mind.

"God Bella," I groaned, "you do not play fair." I'm not sure when it happened, but I realized my hand had found its way under my pants and around my hard cock. What the hell was wrong with me? I had no control over myself anymore. "I was going to tell you, Love. I was just teasing."

She waited silently on the other end.

"My siblings and I have access to a private island off the coast of Brazil. It's not being used right now so I thought that would be a nice place to rest and recover from your visit home. It's got amazing beaches and hikes and the house is beautiful. Do you think you'd like that?"

"That sounds unbelievable Edward! Are you sure it's not too expensive? It sounds expensive," she worried. I could just see her gnawing away on her plump lower lip.

"We don't have to pay to stay there. That's free to us. I just have to pay for us to get there and for the food we bring and all that," I assured her.

"Wow. How is it free? Why do you have access to the island? Is it some kind of timeshare?" I knew she wouldn't just blindly accept my explanation. She was too inquisitive to do that.

I sighed, "Uh, sort of."

"What does that mean, sort of?" she asked.

"It means that I share the island with my brother and sister." I admitted reluctantly.

"Share as in own?" she asked warily.

"Um…yeah…" I held my breath and waited for her to freak out.

"Oh," was all she said.

I waited for her to say more, but she didn't. We sat in silence for long enough for me to start to wonder if she was still there. Finally she spoke again. "So, um, your family is like, super rich then?"

Time for brutal honesty. So much for easing into this, but I wouldn't mislead her, "No Bella, my family's not rich. My family is extremely wealthy. Generations of extreme wealth on both sides of my family have left my siblings and I ridiculously well off. We have properties all over the world and more than enough money to provide for each of us and our children if we choose to have them.

"If you'd rather go somewhere else we have homes all over the world. Alice suggested the island and it sounded perfect because you were hoping for a beach, but we could go to Paris or Tokyo or London or Prague or Key West, you name it and I'll happily take you there baby. I just want to spend time with you before school starts for you."

"Wow. I can't really wrap my head around that, to be honest." She said after another painful moment of silence. "Can I just pretend I don't know about this for now? I can't even fathom wealth like that."

I laughed in relief, "Of course, love. I honestly don't think about it much. I know that sounds douchey, like I have so much money I never have to think about it. But I mostly live off of the royalties from my work. I've never even touched my trust fund. I've never really needed it."

I heard an impressive yawn from her and I knew I had to let her go. No way was Leah going to let her sleep in tomorrow. "I'll let you sleep baby. Call me or text me and I'll pick you up tomorrow. Just tell your family that you called an Uber."

"m'kay," she muttered, already half asleep.

"Goodnight, love."

"'night."

I fell easily into a heavy sleep and into dreams of bringing my beauty to ecstasy. I couldn't wait for tomorrow now that I knew it would end with Bella in my arms.

 **BPOV**

Last night had been wretched. Jake and Leah were tough to stomach individually, but together, united against a common enemy (me), they were unbearable. Leah's cutting remarks underscored by Jacob's heavy-handed manipulative efforts left me exhausted and drained. One good thing came from the evening: Seth's eyes were opened to his sister and almost-brother-in-law's treatment of me. He made his allegiance clear immediately, defending me and calling Leah out a few times when she crossed some line from bitchy into cruel.

Sue and Charlie had headed to bed early and Seth stayed up longer than he normally would have, letting me know he had my back. I was touched. I had always had a soft spot for Seth. He was just a young kid when my dad started dating his mom. Now at seventeen he was nearly as tall as Jacob, though he was all arms and legs, still not having grown into his height yet. To have him there in my corner, where my dad and Sue should have been, warmed my heart and made me feel less alone in my family.

I squeezed my eyes shut and burrowed deeper into the sofa cushions in an effort to drown out the loud crashing of pots and pans in the kitchen. I had anticipated that Leah would get up at the crack of dawn so that she could continue to torment me as much as possible. The sad thing was that she was running herself ragged with her scheming. I took satisfaction in the idea that she was just as tired as I was this morning.

I smiled as I slipped my hand into my bag on the floor and pulled out my phone and earbuds. I scrolled through and found my favorite album of the moment and turned the volume up higher than I normally would. The sexy, deep voice of Hozier filled my head, replacing the irritating reminders that my sister hated my guts. I didn't quite fall back asleep, but I relaxed, letting my mind run over the events of the last couple of days.

So much had happened in such a short time. I felt a goofy smile on my lips as I thought about how much I already cared for Edward. He kept calling me 'Love' last night when we spoke. I wasn't sure how much he meant by it, but I really liked the sound of that word coming off of his lips. I could already feel myself falling hard for him. I had never felt this way about Jacob and we'd known each other since we were children. We dated for two years and I never told him I was in love him, because I couldn't say it honestly. Sometimes I felt like Jacob wanted to hear me say it even if he knew it wasn't true, like it meant he had broken me, like he'd won.

But now, with Edward, everything was so effortless. So much should scare me about being with him, but I just couldn't think of doing anything else. Would things work out when I got back to school? Would he visit me? Would he ever think of moving out east? Or would he be willing to wait for me to finish school so that I could move closer to him? There was so much to sort out and I hoped that two weeks together would help us sort them. Maybe after spending so much uninterrupted time together on a tropical island, we would burn through this passion we had for each other and be more than ready for some time apart. I couldn't see that happening, but it was possible.

Through the heavy bass line in my ears I could hear Leah running the vacuum in the room around me. She had turned on the harsh overhead lights and was repeatedly bumping into the couch I was on as she worked. I just continued to feign sleep. I peeked down at the display on my phone; it was quarter after seven on Christmas morning. Charlie almost never had this day off. He was going to be pissed about the racket. No doubt she'd find a way to pin it on me. As expected I heard the muffled sounds of Charlie's angry voice rising above the noise in the room before the vacuum cut off abruptly. I wanted to snicker at her plan backfiring, but who knew what she'd resort to next. I was glad I'd be out of this house before the day was through. I began mentally altering the plans for my fictitious flight time. There was no way in hell that I could make it all the way through dinner without inflicting physical harm on Leah.

A of couple hours later I found myself at the kitchen table, which was overflowing with every manner of breakfast food imaginable, explaining to my family my change in plans. Convincing them that the airline had oversold my return flight and that I had been offered a large discount to take a flight this evening was depressingly easy. I told them that I'd have to get to Seattle by five so my ride would be picking me up a little before two. No one but Seth seemed disappointed by my early departure, not that I expected anything different. Charlie expressed slight concern that I was traveling on the holiday, but he actually seemed relieved that I was going.

The tension in the house this morning had been painful for all of us. Leah had been on the warpath, whispering vicious crap whenever she got me alone for a minute. Like a spoiled child, she'd taken to breaking or spilling things so that she could blame me for the incident. She'd told Charlie that she was vacuuming so early because I had left crumbs all over the floor from my 'late night binge session'. My dad just tried to shrug everything off, saying I was only here for a short time and that we should try to get along. I think he saw through her antics, but it was pretty clear to me that he just wanted his peaceful house back. And that meant that I had to go, even if Leah was the real problem.

I texted Edward to ask him to pick me up at quarter till 2, but to wait in his car down the street a bit. I didn't want to deal with introductions or explanations. They were having dinner at 3, so I was hoping that my new plans would make it so I was able to avoid Jacob for the rest of this trip. I called my mom to wish her a Merry Christmas, but she was on a cruise somewhere so I was only able to leave her a voicemail.

We exchanged gifts a while after breakfast and I found myself to be the new owner of an iTunes gift card for twenty bucks and a whole mess of new socks. After having put so much time and thought into each gift I had given, the careless gifts my family gave me helped to put things into sharp perspective. I looked around and realized that this was the last Christmas I wanted to spend here. This didn't feel like my family or home anymore. With the exception of Seth, they didn't know me and they didn't want to try to know me. I wanted to establish my own family with my friends and hopefully with Edward.

I said goodbye to everyone with little fanfare. Leah looked triumphant, having reclaimed her territory. I was glad to concede this victory to her. Let her have the role of daughter number one in this family. I walked out of that house fairly certain that it was the last time I'd be here. And it left me feeling nothing but free and relieved.

"Hey Love." Edward said. His smile was radiant as I slid into the passenger seat of his car after dropping my bags in the backseat. "I really want to kiss you right now, you have no idea. But I'm guessing we should wait until we get away from your house."

"Yeah. I think that'd be a good idea. Let's maintain the thin pretense for as long as we can. I don't want Charlie to suddenly decide to be my dad and give a shit." I didn't mean for my bitterness to creep through, "I'm sorry. The last two days have been…trying."

He snorted, "I believe the word you're looking for is shitty." I couldn't help but laugh with him. It felt so good to relax the guard I had to hold when I was in that house. With Edward I could be myself and I felt a bit giddy in my relief.

We were a few streets away by this point when he suddenly pulled down a small lane leading into the woods. He parked on the side of the lane in a small pull off at the head of a hiking path. He turned to me and pulled me in for a hard kiss. Things escalated quickly and before I knew it I was on his lap, straddling him, with his seat fully reclined. Edward's hands were under my skirt, kneading my ass as he ground his hardness against me. Our hands moved over each other's bodies with a desperate energy. It felt like we each needed reassurance that the other was real—that our connection was real.

Without concern for where we were, I reached down to free him from his jeans. My fingers made quick work of his buttons and zipper. Without breaking our kiss, he lifted up slightly so that I could push his pants and boxers down allowing his erection to spring free against my thigh.

"I need you…please baby it's been too long," I begged. I was beyond being embarrassed for the desperate, whiny tone of my words.

Edward didn't answer me with words. Instead he recaptured my mouth with his as he deftly pushed my panties aside and pulled me down swiftly onto his length. We moaned into each other's mouths at the feel of being together like this again. Immediately I rocked my hips against his and he began to guide my movements with his hands placed firmly on my hip and ass. I felt completely out of control, driven entirely by my lust for this man, as I rode him hard and fast in the front seat of his car in broad daylight. He pulled my hips down against him harder on each thrust. I had never felt so totally consumed by desire. Each time our hips met, the force of our movements drove the air from my lungs in gasps and pants. The grip Edward had on my hips grew tighter, his fingers pressing into my skin almost painfully. My orgasm hit me moments later with an intensity I'd never experienced. I felt myself ride euphoric wave after wave as my body clung to Edward's in a seemingly endless spasm of pleasure. I felt his body still under me, his hands pulling me hard against him, his cock pulsing deep within me as a shuddering groan left his lips.

As I lay panting on him, feeling the comforting rise and fall of his chest beneath my head, I marveled at the strangeness of this turn in my life. Before Edward I would have never imagined myself capable of wanton disregard for decency. But here I was, freshly fucked in a car in the woods two miles from my father's house on Christmas day. Not a state I would expect to find myself in, but I didn't have an ounce of regret or shame in me. This was by far my best Christmas ever, with or without my evil step-sister.

After getting ourselves in order and resituating myself in my seat, we finally made it the rest of the way to his cottage. I was curious about the large house that we passed on his lane. It seemed vacant, though it was a lovely home with a mix of contemporary and traditional design that somehow married perfectly.

"Who lives in that big house that we passed?" I inquired as he was placing my bags in the foyer.

His eyes lost a bit of their brightness as he answered, "That was my mom's family home. She used to vacation here as a child and she always remembered it as the most peaceful place she'd ever been. That's why she wanted to come here when she was dying. She had nothing tying her to Chicago anymore. My brother and sister were away at school." He sighed deeply before continuing. There was no mistaking the tremor in his voice. I could see he was near tears. "When my mom died, I just couldn't keep staying there. She had redecorated everything there over the years, putting her touches in every room. It just feels like her, the whole house. I know that should make me happy, that some part of her is alive in that house, but it's still too painful."

 **EPOV**

I wasn't been prepared for how much talking about the house and my mom would affect me. I could feel myself nearly breaking as I spoke. Bella's soft hand came to rest on my cheek as she stepped close to me. She couldn't possibly have missed the tremble in my voice.

"Maybe it won't always be that way," she said, holding my gaze in her own. "Someday, when you really allow yourself to heal, you may be able to return. Maybe then you will be ready to appreciate the pieces of herself she left behind for you without everything feeling so raw and painful."

I closed my eyes at her words, leaning into her hand as I felt a few tears spill down my cheeks. "Thank you," I said quietly. We stayed like this in the entryway for some time before I pulled her against me in a firm hug. I kissed the top of her head and asked, "Are you hungry?" I felt her nod in reply. "I ran out this morning and picked up a few things for dinner. There wasn't much since most stores are closed, but I found a small market in Port Angeles that was open today."

She pulled back to look at me, "You went all the way to Port Angeles for groceries?" Her tone was teasing and I could see her trying to lighten the mood.

"Well I couldn't have you eating canned meat that expired last year for Christmas dinner, now could I?"

"Eww. I didn't even see that it was expired, please tell me you threw that away?" she asked.

I chuckled as her face scrunched up in the most adorable expression of disgust. "No way!" I said. "I'm keeping that as a reminder of our first morning together. It'll be in our pantry twenty years from now, mark my words!" My lame joke had somehow ended with me sharing way too much about my feelings again. Something about being with Bella dissolved any mental filter I may have had.

Her eyes grew wide at the mention of us being together decades from now and I was bracing myself for her reaction. The smirk that grew on her face was a surprise and a relief. "So where will this pantry be? This pantry that will stand as a shrine for antique canned hash?" she queried.

Relief washed through me at her words. "Well, I suppose that would depend a great deal on where you want to live," I said simply.

"Really?" she asked teasingly.

"Really," I replied earnestly.

"But what about what you want? Doesn't that factor in too? I mean it is technically your hash," she asked, her playful tone somewhat subdued by genuine curiosity.

"Sure, but I only want to be where you are, so that part just sorts itself out. Plus it's your hash too; what's mine is yours," I shrugged nonchalantly.

She didn't continue our bantering. She just stared at me with her warm chocolate eyes wide and full of questions. Instead of digging myself in deeper, so much for not scaring her off with too much too fast, I pulled her into the kitchen to start dinner. I set out the ingredients I had bought earlier, which were pretty basic. They didn't have much by way of fresh produce, but there was a reasonable selection of most things I needed. I wish I could make her proper holiday dinner. She more than deserved one after the last couple of days at her dad's house.

"What can I do to help?" Bella asked as I started dicing the onion.

"Could you put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta?" I asked.

"Sure. Down here?" She pointed to a lower cupboard.

"Yeah. That's the one." I confirmed. We worked quietly in tandem and soon the ziti was baking in the oven and the salad was on the table.

"I'm just going to run up and check on our travel arrangements," I said, kissing the top of her head. I pulled in a lungful of her lovely scent and headed toward the stairs, "I'll be back in a few minutes. You okay on your own down here?"

"Of course," she answered.

I bounded up the stairs and opened up my laptop. I waited impatiently for the browser to load. I couldn't wait to see what Alice had arranged. I groaned at the email from my sister; it was three solid pages. It was the print version of one of her loquacious rants. I scanned through the message, picking up the important pieces and trying to ignore her enthusiastic questions about her "new sister" as she's apparently taken to calling Bella. After finally deciding to just print out the damn message so I could highlight the important details, I checked the tracking on the gifts I had ordered. All in all, it had taken me more time than I would have liked to sort through everything. I grabbed the pages off the printer and a highlighter and headed down to join Bella for dinner.

When I arrived in the kitchen my girl was standing with her back to me, her phone cradled between her ear and shoulder. She was mixing something at the counter and I couldn't help but hang back and watch her for a moment. She was so gorgeous. It was hard to believe that she was actually here with me.

"Okay Jay. I will." She said quietly. Who the hell was Jay? "Yup. I know. I'll call when I can. Don't worry so much!" she laughed effortlessly and I couldn't help the pang of jealousy that coursed through me. I knew I was being stupid. She could be talking to anyone. But I wanted to be the only guy who made her laugh like that.

She turned then and saw me leaning against the doorframe. She raised her eyebrow at me and I was sure that my expression betrayed my feelings. I tried to clear the confused scowl that was likely gracing my face. She continued looking at me with curiosity as she finished her call.

"Happy Christmas Jay. Give my love to Rose and your folks. Okay thanks! Bye." She placed her phone on the counter and dusted the flour off her hands.

"What are you making?" I asked, trying to deflect from my overt display of irrational jealousy.

"Un-uh. No you don't." She shook her head and took a couple of steps toward me. "What was with the grumpy face before? And don't even try to deny it. You looked intensely pissed about something. What did I do?"

Ugh, now I felt like shit. "Baby, you didn't do anything," I sighed and pulled her close to me. "I'm sorry. I had a moment of complete stupidity." She looked up at me with open curiosity. I loved that she wasn't playing games or trying to use my mistakes against me. She just wanted to understand. "I got insanely and irrationally jealous at the idea of you talking and laughing with some other man. I'm sorry this is all so new to me." I hung my head in embarrassment.

The last thing I was expecting was her carefree laughter. The sound was so sweet to my ears. She looked up at me, eyes shining with mirth, as she cupped my face. "Oh, Edward. What am I going to do with you?" she asked, still laughing. "That was my roommate Jasper. He's a really great friend and only a friend. He's like a brother to me. Rose, my other roommate, is his sister and my best friend. We're like a little family."

I chuckled in relief before dropping a soft, apologetic kiss on her full lips. "I'm sorry, Love. Sometimes I just don't know how to handle how much I feel for you. I promise I'll try to get control of my stupidity."

She smiled softly up at me. "I know. It's hard for me to adjust to too. It's a lot and it's really fast. Give yourself a little time to process everything." God I loved her. She had every right to be annoyed with me and freaked out by the intensity of my feelings, but she seemed to be right here with me. Crazy in love, at least in my case, but she wasn't running from it yet. I could only hope she caught up soon.

The timer on the stove beeped, signaling dinner and disrupting our moment. I transferred the baked pasta to the table and went to turn off the oven when I remembered her working on something at the counter.

"Do you need this or should I turn it off?" I asked, pointing to the oven.

"Can you reset it to 350, please?" I watched as she went back to the counter and used a spoon to scoop a portion of the dough she'd made. I watched her work gracefully, rolling small balls and placing them on the baking sheets: some kind of cookies, I was guessing. After she place the tray in the oven and set the timer we moved to enjoy our dinner.

"So how long have you lived with Rose and Jasper?" I asked when we'd settled at the table.

"Three years," she answered. "I actually knew Rose at U Dub. We had some classes together and quickly became friends. When she told me she'd be at M.I.T. too we decided to find a place together. She's working on a masters in mechanical engineering."

She paused to pile a massive portion of salad on her plate. When her plate was well loaded she continued, "Jasper was at The Berklee School of Music until he graduated last May. Now he's working several jobs while he tries to get his band going. When Rose first told him we were moving to the area he asked if he could live with us. I was a little hesitant, mostly because I'd never met him so I didn't know what the dynamic would be like, but we chatted a few times on the phone and I found him really easy going and cool.

"He was excited to be living away from his bandmates, who he loves, but I guess you can only spend so much time with people." She shrugged and took a bite of her pasta.

"What kind of music does he play?" I wondered.

"Uh, I guess it's kind of indie rock. A bit rockabilly. Jasper and Rose are from Austin. Though you'd never know talking to Rose unless you got her drunk or really pissed off. Then her southern girl comes out in force. Jasper embraces his drawl. I think it works for him with the ladies," she laughed.

"Wow, I'd like to hear some of their stuff. It's sounds so different from what I usually play," I said earnestly.

"Yeah?" she asked, sounding surprised at my interest. I just nodded as I chewed. "Maybe I could take you to one of their shows sometime, if you decide to visit me," she said shyly. She toyed with her food, pushing it around on her plate with her fork. Her eyes were cast down and she looked so uncertain. I'd been so afraid to show her too much of how I was feeling, so afraid to scare her. Maybe I needed to lay all my cards on the table. I couldn't have her doubting how much she means to me.

"Bella, baby?" She still kept her eyes trained on her plate. "Love, will you please look at me?" She lifted her eyes reluctantly. "I don't really want to visit you, baby." She gasped and I realized how bad that sounded. I was so out of practice talking to people. I rushed to explain myself, "I don't think I could leave you again once I was there. I was hoping you'd be okay with me moving to Cambridge after we go on our trip. I know this is all fast, but I have nothing tying me here anymore. I can't imagine returning to my old life now that you've jolted me awake." I smiled crookedly at that. She had no idea how I was only barely living just a few short days ago.

"I already asked Ali if she'd be okay with me staying at her place and she's more than excited to have me as a housemate. Baby…would you be okay with that?" I reached for her hand, grasping it between both of my own. "I don't want to put pressure on you or on us, but I don't think I can go back to the half-life I was living before."

She laughed sounding giddy, "Are you really coming to Cambridge?" The smile that lit her face was brilliant and her eyes were glistening. "I can't imagine walking away from you either Edward. I don't ever want to walk away from you." She spoke softly, but the promise of her words held so much power over me. I was in so much trouble with this woman.

We spent the rest of dinner in light conversation, with Bella periodically getting up to tend to the cookies which filled the kitchen with the most amazing aroma. By the time dinner was done and the dishes were clean, she had made several dozen cookies and my house smelled incredible. "Okay, dishes are done. Can I please have cookies now? This is beyond cruel!" I may have been whining.

"Okay, take a couple and I'll meet you in the living room. Why don't you start a fire while I make us a holiday treat." She was buzzing with excitement.

"I thought you just had," I said taking my first bite of cookie. "Mmmm…Fuck baby these are so good," I said with my mouth still half full of cookie.

"Okay out!" she said, laughing at me as I grabbed three more cookies from the closest plate and scrambled out of the room.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hello Lovelies. Thank you so much for all of the kind reviews on this story. They are really encouraging! I'm trying my best to update weekly on Saturdays. I'm only one chapter ahead at this point, so eeek! I need to get working fast. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

 **Again: I don't own twilight, because if I did I'd be able to give cooler Christmas presents to my family and friends ; )**

 **BPOV**

I was gleefully disassembling the gift basket I'd reclaimed from under my dad's tree after Leah's early morning vacuuming shenanigans. I had gotten her a couple of things, but this was her big gift and I had decided that though she didn't deserve it, I had more than earned it. I heard Edward head out the back door to get wood for the fire. I still couldn't get over his offer to move to Cambridge to be near me. Being near his family was certainly a draw as well, but it was clear that being near me was important to him. I was starting to let myself believe that he wanted this to work as much as I did.

I couldn't suppress the big goofy smile from stretching across my face. Edward just seemed to have this effect on me and I just couldn't find it in me to mind. I stirred the rich chocolate and milk mixture which was beginning to steam. I pulled out a tray that I'd found earlier and placed two mugs on the tray. Pouring a small bit of liqueur in each, I then filled them with the hot chocolate and dusted them with chocolate shavings. I placed the various sweets on a plate on the tray and headed out to the other room.

When I found Edward he was crouching down by the fire and stirring the glowing embers with a poker. Soft piano music was coming from a small set of speakers on the mantle. He looked deep in thought and I hoped the grief that had haunted him earlier hadn't returned. I placed the tray on the ottoman at the center of the room and he looked up at me with that crooked grin that made me weak in the knees.

"Whatcha got there?" he asked, rising gracefully and stepping over to me.

"I reclaimed one of the presents I'd brought from under the tree before I exchanged gifts with my family this morning," I said with a smirk.

"Leah's?" he guessed.

"Yup." I said, popping the 'p'. "She's lucky she ended up with the scarf I gave her. She complained about that so I'm sure she would have found a way to complain about this too." I said with a wave of my hand over the tray of goodies.

"Well this looks awesome, baby. Is this hot chocolate?" he asked, picking up one of the mugs.

"With a twist," I said as he sipped it.

"I'll say. Is that spiked?" he asked with an arched brow. "Why Miss Swan, are you trying to get me drunk?"

"Please, you're like 6'4 and well built. No way are you getting drunk off a shot of Bailey's!" I laughed and he just rolled his eyes at me. "As for the nibbles, these are shortbread cookies from my favorite bakery back home. These are a few of my favorite candies from this little shop in Harvard square that I love and that's where I got the hot chocolate makings."

"Don't forget the best part," he said picking up another of my cookies and popping the whole thing in his mouth. I giggled and snagged my own mug and a cookie from the tray before sitting down on the couch. Edward sat next to me and pulled me close against him.

"Okay, I'll admit when you said you had a treat for us, my mind went somewhere completely different." He said with a smirk.

I laughed in surprise. "Sorry…I really did mean sweets, but I'd certainly be amenable to expanding the desert menu tonight, if you're interested."

He pulled me tighter against his side as he chuckled, "Oh, I'm always interested, but this is nice actually. Thanks for sharing your stolen goods."

"They're not stolen. I just reconsidered giving them to her…there's a difference," I laughed and he smiled down at me indulgently while chomping on another cookie.

We settled in, quietly watching the fire and sipping our drinks before I remembered that I wanted to ask him a question. "When do we leave for the trip?"

"Tomorrow night," he answered. "We have an early flight out of Seattle on the 27th, so we have a room booked near the airport for tomorrow night. A car will pick us up here at 5 tomorrow to head over there."

"Would you mind if I invited Angela over to visit maybe for lunch tomorrow?" I asked. "I was supposed to spend a day with her before I left, but with the change in plans I didn't get to spend much time with her. I know it'll be a while before I see her with the baby coming and all."

"Of course I don't mind. Would you rather borrow my car and meet her out somewhere?" he asked. "Just because we leave tomorrow doesn't mean you can't spend most of the day with her. I get you all to myself for the next couple of weeks. I can share now." He was so damned cute.

"I'd rather have her over here if you don't mind," I explained. "I really don't want it to get back to Charlie that I'm still in town. I know Ange would never say anything, but if we went out, chances are good that I'd run into someone."

"I understand. I can get lost for a while if you want time alone with your friend," he said quietly, kissing my temple and tightening his hold on me slightly.

"I'd really rather introduce you…unless that makes you uncomfortable." I responded uncertainly. I'd love for Ange and Edward to meet, but he might not be ready for that kind of attention. I knew she wouldn't judge our age difference once she got to know him. She knew he was older, but like me I had a feeling she assumed he was a bit younger that he really was. My man looked good.

"I'd love to formally meet Angela. She's important to you."

"Baby, you know I would introduce you to Charlie and the rest of them if you wanted me to right?" I asked, pulling back a bit so that I could see his face better. "It's just that, lately, I'm coming to realize that the family I was born into isn't the family I want. The people who love me unconditionally, who are loyal and supportive and concerned for my wellbeing, those people are my family. That family just so happens to be comprised of people that I have no blood or legal ties to. So, introducing you to Ange, Rose and Jasper means so much more to me than having you meet my parents." I placed a soft kiss on his lips. They were so inviting, it just couldn't be avoided sometimes.

"I understand, Love. It's probably better that I avoid your father's house for now. I'm not sure I could get out of there without getting myself arrested," he shrugged. "I hope you'll include me on that list of family one day." My breath caught at his words. He leaned in for another kiss and we shared slow languid kisses that tasted of chocolate and sweet liqueur. Eventually he pulled away and picked up a stack of pages and a highlighter from the end table.

"Our flight out of Seattle leaves at 6am and lands in Rio at 11 that night, with a stopover in Houston, but we don't have to change planes or anything." His brow furrowed as he considered something on the page. "That's going to be pretty exhausting, but it's a comfortable plane so we should be able to rest on board."

"You worry too much. We'll be fine. We can sleep on the plane and we'll recover while we're there." I tried to reassure him. "What about our return flight?"

"Uh…let's see." He scanned the page until he found what he wanted. "We're on a flight to Boston with a layover in Atlanta arriving on the 11th at 1pm. I wanted to make sure you have recovery time from all the travel before you had to be back in the lab."

"That's so thoughtful of you. I didn't think of that." I tried and failed to stifle a yawn. The shitty night's sleep I had was catching up with me.

"You must be exhausted," Edward said, pulling me closer against him. "We can make an early night of it if you want."

"Yeah, maybe. Just let me text Ange about tomorrow. Then we can think about heading to bed." I yawned again as I pulled out my phone. I started laughing when I saw the display.

"What's so funny over there?" he asked, trying to peek at my phone.

"Nothing really." I said, still chuckling. "I just thought it was really late and it's only six o'clock. I swear my internal clock is so screwed up. I thought it was like midnight at least."

I looked up at him and Edward's face turned tender as he leaned down and kissed my forehead. "You're wiped after the night you had. Write to your friend and then we'll head up. I may read for a bit, but I'm looking forward to sleeping next to you again." He caressed the side of my face and did that thing he does, when he stares into my eyes so intently that I feel completely laid bare for him.

I nodded, because I was sure my voice would fail me. Turning back to my phone, I typed out a text to Ange and got an immediate reply. We exchanged a few more texts until she was all set to come over tomorrow at eleven. While I was on my phone I scanned the three new emails from Dr. Banner. He seriously never took a break, but who am I to talk. I'm checking my work email on Christmas day. Edward's warm body felt so comforting and solid next to mine. My eyes quickly grew heavy as the warmth of Edward and the nearby fire lulled me into a deep sleep.

 **EPOV**

I was trying to be patient while Bella texted her friend, but my mind kept drifting to images of the last time I had my girl in my bed. I knew she was tired and would most likely be asleep as soon as I got her upstairs, but I couldn't help it. I craved her.

I tried to focus on Alice's ridiculous email, but as I found myself rereading the same paragraph again and again, I set the pages aside and started playing with Bella's hair instead. I felt her relax further against me. It amazed me yet again how comfortable we were with each other already.

A soft thud pulled my gaze down to the rug below us. Bella's hand hung limp from the couch and her phone rested on the rug beneath it. I looked down at my girl's sweet face. She was out cold. No wonder. Her evil step-sister had kept her from getting any sleep last night. At least I could take care of my love now. I shifted slowly, careful not to wake Bella, and scooped her up in my arms. I chuckled quietly as she clung to me in her sleep. I could almost hear her protesting that she was perfectly capable of getting herself up my stairs. I like that we had this little routine already. I laid her down in my bed before undressing her down to her underwear. Damn she had a gorgeous body. I tried not to perv out on her, but it was challenging. I grabbed one of my t-shirts from the drawer and eased her into it. She barely reacted as I tucked her under the quilt.

As I was grabbing some sleep pants to change into, my phone started to vibrate in my pocket. After quickly exiting the room I pulled out my phone and cringed at the name on the screen. I waited until I was safely downstairs to answer.

"Hey Em," I said.

"Hey bro! Merry Christmas!" He boomed. The guy seriously had no volume control. Mom had his ears checked by specialists when he was twelve because she was convinced there was something wrong with him. Turns out he just really doesn't give a fuck who hears him.

"Merry Christmas Emmett. Are you and Ali having a good day?" I asked.

"Oh yeah, we hung out for most of the day, but now I'm headed over to this party in Chelsea. That chick Heidi is gonna be there along with all her little model friends. You really are missing out in that shithole," he chuckled.

"I promise I'm not missing anything. That's really not my scene."

"Please who doesn't want to party with a bunch of lingerie models? Plus you're all arty and shit. They fuckin love that. You'd clean up out here."

"Emmett, didn't Ali mention that I met someone? I was sure she wouldn't be able to keep that bit of gossip to herself."

"Oh, she was serious about that?" he scoffed. "It's so hard to tell when she gets all excited and bouncy. She said something about you meeting some geeky girl from M.I.T. Becca or something?"

God he was such an ass. He didn't used to be, but he'd become increasingly douchey in the last couple of years. It was probably my fault for not really being there for him since mom died.

"Jesus Em, her name is Bella and she's not a geek. She's a doctoral student at M.I.T."

He started laughing full out at that. "Yeah, she sounds pretty fucking geeky to me. But I'm sure it's slim pickins out there in that wasteland you call home. You've forgotten what real women look like."

I snorted at that, "You mean like the lingerie models you're hanging out with tonight and all their plastic parts. Emmett you're being an ass. I'll talk to you later. Enjoy your random hookups. And don't fucking talk to me about Bella again if you can't do so with respect. I love her and I'm not going to listen to you talk shit about her." At that I hung up on him. I knew it was childish, but he was both pissing me off and making me feel guilty for letting my baby brother turn into a douche. I had clearly failed him after our parents died. Ali was easy, she'd always been sort of self-sufficient and had a strong moral compass. Her biggest fault was her self-indulgent tendency to shop her way through her trust fund. Fortunately her full fund doesn't get released to her until she's thirty so hopefully she'll gain some self-control before then. My phone buzzed with a couple of incoming texts, but I ignored them. Most likely Emmett would just continue to irritate me if I looked at them.

I called Ali to wish her Merry Christmas and thank her for the travel arrangements. After that exhausting conversation, I spent a few hours in my studio recording before getting ready for bed and slipping in next to my girl, who hadn't moved an inch since I'd left her. I really could get used to this. Before long I was asleep, wrapped around Bella's small warm body.

The bed was cold and empty next to me when I woke up. The sun was streaming in through the blinds and I could hear soft noises coming from downstairs. Trudging down, I took in the smells of coffee, bacon and cinnamon. My mouth watered as I made my way into the kitchen. I stood in the doorway and watched Bella for a moment. Her back was to me and she was dancing around as she made breakfast. I wondered what music was streaming in through her earbuds as she bounced about the kitchen with her sexy rhythmic movements. I was leaning against the doorframe biting on the edge of my thumb with a giant grin on my face when Bella caught sight of me and screamed. Still clutching one hand to her chest she pulled the buds free from her ears.

"Edward!" she chastised, smacking my chest lightly, "You scared the shit out of me! How long have you been standing there?" I couldn't answer through my laughter. She was so damned cute when she was flustered.

"Fine!" she huffed. "Laugh it up and you can make your own damn breakfast!" she turned away with a defiant expression on her face.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" I rushed across the room to wrap my arms around her waist. Resting my head on her shoulder, I kissed her softly behind her ear. "You just look so cute when you're dancing around my kitchen like that. I couldn't help myself." My voice took on a pleading tone. I hoped she wasn't really angry. I didn't think she was from her tone, but we were still learning so much about each other. I didn't want to assume.

"Uck. Fine." She said as she leaned back into my embrace. "You're lucky you're so freaking charming. I won't leave you to fend for yourself. Plus, I think I used up most of your food already, so you'd be stuck with the moldy hash and we need that for posterity don't we."

I chuckled at her rambling and pulled her tight against my chest. "What time is your friend coming over?" I asked.

"She should be here pretty soon actually. Do you want to grab a shower and then come down to join us for brunch?"

I looked up at the clock, surprised that it was already so late. I had slept most of the morning away already. "Sure, baby. I'll be back soon. Get started without me if she gets here before I'm back." After pressing one more wet kiss to her neck I made my way upstairs to make myself presentable.

When I wandered back toward the kitchen half an hour later I heard the beautiful sounds of laughter welcoming me to the room. My life had been so devoid of joy for so long. To be enveloped in it so suddenly was overwhelming to say the least. I watched like the creeper I am from the doorway as Bella and her friend continued laughing over some shared joke at the kitchen table.

As her laughter quieted Bella caught me lurking. "Hey handsome. Come and meet my friend Angie." She smiled warmly at me.

Walking over to sit beside her, I found myself suddenly shy again. With Bella I could relax and be myself, but with everyone else I felt how truly rusty my social skills had become. I looked over at Bella's excited face and remembered what she'd said last night: Angela was important to her, she was family. I could do this for her.

"Hi Angela," I said, extending my hand toward her, "It's lovely to meet you. Bella's told me so much about you."

She smiled brightly at me and grasped my hand in greeting. "Hi Edward. It's great to meet you too." Her cheeks reddened as she continued, "I was just hearing a bit about you now."

I turned to Bella with a brow raised in question. She just smiled back at me a bit too innocently and sipped her coffee.

"Did you girls already have breakfast?" I asked changing the subject. I didn't really care what she told her friend about me, but I wasn't sure I really wanted to know what was causing the sudden outbreak of blushing at the table.

"Nope, we were waiting for you." My girl answered.

"Thanks, baby. Can I help you move things to the table?"

"Sure, why don't you grab the frittata from the oven and I'll get the rest of the stuff."

"I'll get the cinnamon rolls!" Angela shouted as she jumped up ahead of Bella. She was surprisingly agile for such a pregnant woman.

"Oh my god, those smell amazing!" I said as she brought the tray of sugary goodness to the table.

"Oh they are!" Angela assured me. "Bella's famous for her baking, but especially for these." Turning to my girl she remarked, "I can't believe you made it out of Charlie's house without baking anything. And at Christmas time no less! What is the world coming too?" She laughed, but I noticed Bella's smile dim.

"What's wrong, Love?" I asked quietly.

"Nothing really." She shrugged.

"What is it?" I pushed.

"Um…it does make me sad that I wasn't able to do the usual holiday baking thing with my dad. We used to sit around decorating sugar cookies the week before Christmas, just goofing around and singing along to the carols on the radio." I smiled trying to picture a young Bella subjecting her police chief father to cookie decorating and sing-a-longs. The wistful sadness in her voice just about broke my heart. "He didn't always have Christmas off, but we'd have our own celebration and it always felt special."

She dished out some of the frittata to each of our plates before continuing. "It seemed like part of Leah's plan while I was home. She never was big into cooking that I remember, but this visit she was baking and cooking every time I was in the house. It was like she wanted me to know how thoroughly she'd replaced me in the family."

"Oh Sweetie, I'm sorry I didn't mean to make such an insensitive joke." Angela said while gripping Bella's hand on the table. "I didn't realize she'd taken that over too. She's gone a bit 'single white female', don't you think?"

I couldn't help but snort at that. It was such an apt description of Leah who seemed like she was trying desperately and inadequately to fill the void left when Bella moved away. A small smile pulled on the edges of my girl's lips, but it didn't fully meet her eyes. I pulled her hand to my lips and kissed her gently on the knuckles.

We fell into easy, light conversation after that. Breakfast was incredible and Bella's cinnamon rolls more than lived up to the hype.

"Baby I'm gonna get so fat now that you're in my life." I said rubbing my belly and leaning back in my chair at the end of the meal.

Bella giggled. "I'll still adore you when you're fat. Just don't go getting too out of shape." She teased, waggling her eyebrows absurdly.

"Great, I'm already an old geezer. Now I'm gonna be a fat old geezer! I better get a personal trainer when we get to Cambridge or you'll be leaving me for a newer, younger model before I know it." I pulled her closer to my side and kissed her temple.

"Wait!" Angela exclaimed, half jumping out of her seat. "You're moving to Cambridge?! When?" She was full out bouncing in her seat now with a huge grin on her face. She reminded me so much of my sister when she was excited. It was sort of bizarre.

"Okay on that note," I said as I stood up from the table. "I'll let you two catch up. I have some things to do in the main house before we leave." I kissed Bella once more and headed out to get the house set for my absence. Thankfully Bella didn't question me, she only smiled at me affectionately, biting her lower lip in that adorable way she does. I needed to grab a few things that I really didn't want her to find out about just yet.

 **BPOV**

As soon as the door closed behind Edward, Ang practically pounced on me. "Alright spill! I need details immediately! He's moving to Cambridge with you? Is he moving in with you already? You've known each other for like three days?" She was getting increasingly agitated as she spoke. Her voice was reaching a sharp, shrill pitch that I've never heard from her before.

I grabbed her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "Angie, cool your jets. I'll give you details, but you need to relax or you'll be going into premature labor and I don't really want to deliver your baby on the kitchen table thank you very much."

She smacked my arm playfully, "Shut up. Fine. I'm calm." She made a big show of taking a deep exaggerate breath.

I laughed at her antics. "God I miss you Angie. Please think about moving out east!" I begged, not for the first time.

"Stop trying to distract me and spill."

"Fine. Where should I start?" I mused.

"You love him. How about we start there," she said with confidence.

I sighed, "Am I that obvious?" I wasn't sure how I felt about Edward knowing that my feelings for him were this deep already.

"Well he loves you too, so it shouldn't be an issue once you're both ready to admit it to each other."

"You really think he loves me too?" I asked shyly. "I know he cares for me. I'm not that insecure, but it's so quick. How can he love me so quickly when he's just getting to know me?"

"Are you certain you love him?" Ange prodded.

"Absolutely. But that's different. He's so amazing Angie. He's so much more than I can explain. He's kind and sweet and unbelievably generous."

"Generous, huh?" she said waggling her eyebrows. "Do tell."

"Oh shut up perv!" I responded. "I didn't mean it like that….though now that you mention it…" I gazed off thinking of just how generous my man could be.

"Oh my god!" she exclaimed. "Either share or quit your fantasizing now! That is totally unfair."

"Sorry, but you asked for it with your insinuation," I said. "So yeah, he's amazing. He's been through a lot, which is why he keeps to himself normally. But somehow we're both able to be really open with each other. He makes me want to share everything with him. And he sees me, like he really sees me, not some version of me he's hoping I'll become for him. You know?"

"Yeah I do, Sweetie. It's plain as day when you two are together." Ange was thoughtful for a moment before continuing. "You deserve happiness and love, but please be careful. I don't know what Edward's been through and I'm not trying to pry, but I haven't seen that man so much as utter three words to anyone in this town unless absolutely necessary. And believe me, plenty of people have tried to hit that without success."

Jealousy flared up in me. I knew it was irrational but I couldn't help the feeling that spike through me at the thought of skanky women hitting on my man. "Oh really? Like who?" I asked.

Angela laughed at my visible irritation. "Well Jessica for one. That girl's been throwing herself at him since she moved back to town a few years ago." I cringed at that. Jessica was really pretty and reasonably nice, but vapid as fuck. I really had tried to give her the benefit of the doubt over the years, but she had proven time and time again to have the depth of a teaspoon.

"And then there was Lauren. She was working weekends at the bar for a while after she dropped out of school," Angela continued causing me to groan. "Don't worry, he hardly noticed her constantly shoving her big, fake rack in his face at every opportunity. She finally started a vicious rumor that he was not only gay, but also physically damaged due to a horrible accident."

I gaped at her in shock. "Well I can guarantee that he is neither of those things!"

"I'm sure you can!" Angela laughed. "This is why I was on your ass about starting rumors the other night. This town is so ready to believe the most salacious and shocking things they hear about people and things snowball from there.

"I actually overheard Lauren and Jessica talking about how they'd seen Edward with Eric Yorkie at the bar in Port Angeles last month. It was like they connected him with the only local gay guy they could think of. I mean Eric moved to L.A. like five years ago and I doubt he'll step foot in this state again unless he has to.

"They'll make up anything to take the sting out of his obvious rejection. There's also all sorts of speculation about what he does for a living and why he's such a private person. I think the latest theory is that he's a disgraced business tycoon who moved out here to avoid scandal and shame."

I snorted at that idea, "Wow, it sounds like I'm getting him out of this town just in time."

"Speaking of that, when is he moving out there?"

"He's coming out after our vacation. We're spending two weeks at his family's beach house and then he's flying back to Boston with me." I conveniently left out the bit about the private island. "You're not weirded out by the age thing?"

"Why? It's not such a big deal, you're both adults. What's a few years difference really mean in the long run?" she asked.

"Um….it's more than a few years, actually." I said meekly. God I was dreading her reaction.

Her brow scrunched together in confusion. "What do you mean? How old is he?"

"He's thirty-seven." I replied quietly.

Angie's eyes bugged out and her mouth dropped open almost comically. If my stomach hadn't sunk in anxiety I would have probably found it funny. "No way is Mr. Hottie from the bar thirty-seven years old. I was guessing thirty at most. Damn! Those are some good genes! You'll have such pretty babies!" She was back to inhuman squealing. Ugh.

"Angie, nobody's having babies anytime soon. Jeez! We just met." I exclaimed.

She shot me a smug crooked grin and raised a defiant brow at me, "Hm. We'll see."

"Ok. Whatever." I knew when to let a conversation drop with my best friend. We chatted a while more, catching up on our lives and the local gossip. Eventually Edward returned while we were each picking over newly warmed cinnamon buns and fresh cups of tea.

"Hey ladies. Any more of that tea left for me?" He asked, looking adorable in his grey beanie and thermal shirt, his cheeks rosy from the cold.

"Of course and we just heated these up if you want another one." I said handing him the tray of buns.

"Oh yum! Are there any of those cookies left from yesterday, Love?" He looked like a six year old the way his eyes lit in excitement.

I chuckled, "Yeah they're in the container on the counter." He dashed across the room and opened the plastic container faster than I would have thought possible. Ange and I watched him with amusement as he dug out several cookies and shoved one in his mouth.

"Oh I've been meaning to ask you," he said with a mouth half full of cookie, "What was it you were blackmailing that Newton prick with the other night?"

I had just taken a sip of tea and I nearly choked at his question. Angie started laughing at me instantly and she dissolved into complete hysterics at my incredulous expression.

"Ugh! Fine. This is super embarrassing, but I'll tell you." I had Edward's full attention with that. Having just seated himself next to me, his posture straightened suddenly and his brows raised high. The cookie in his hand momentarily forgotten. I rolled my eyes at his eagerness.

"Junior year of high school, early in the school year- I had just turned fourteen- a big group of us went on a camping trip out near first beach. My dad let me go mostly because Ange was going to be there and she promised to look after me,"

I shot her a look and she started giggling again. "Hey, I think I did look after you! I helped you plot revenge didn't I?"

"Revenge for what?" Edward asked sounding agitated. "Did that bastard hurt you?"

"Hey, simmer down there, Killer. No one hurt me, not really." I gave him a reassuring squeeze on his knee before continuing. "Anyhow. We got set up at the campground and I had planned to stay in the tent with Angie and another girl from our class, Jessica. But unbeknown to us, Jessica had a plan to meet up with this guy Tyler that night after everyone was asleep. Now somehow Mike, Jessica's boyfriend at the time, found out about this plan and got it in his head that hooking up with me would be the best route to revenge. I think this was largely just an excuse, he'd been hitting on me steadily since I started to fill out earlier that year."

"Wait, you were just fourteen and he was how old? Seventeen?" he asked with a disgusted look on his face.

"Eighteen," I corrected. "Mike got held back in second grade so he was on the older side. Anyhow, yeah, totally creepy. I didn't get just how creepy and illegal his attentions were at the time, but I hated it nonetheless.

"So that night Jess was off with Tyler and Ange went to meet Ben down by the tidal pools. I felt bad that she had to babysit me so I told her to just go, that I'd be fine in the tent on my own.

"As soon as Angie left me alone Mike showed up at my tent and tried to get in with me. It scared the crap out of me so I kicked him in the nuts and screamed. Angie, who was barely up the trail when she heard me scream, came running back and dragged Mike out of our tent and started beating him with her boot."

At that, Edward let out a loud bark of laughter, causing Angie to follow with a new round of giggles. She continue the story for me, "I told him he was an idiot assaulting the police chief's daughter and that I would tell the Chief that he was trying to molest Bella in her sleep if he didn't back off. He really has a screw lose. I had to explain to him that she was a minor and he was legally an adult and could be charged with sexual assault even if she consented. I swear he thought I was making up statutory rape just to fuck with him."

"Wow, he's even more of a dumbass than he appears." Edward mused causing us both to giggle.

"Yeah so we decided he needed to be taught a lesson," I said. "Now, before you go feeling all sorry for Tyler in this story, you have to understand what a douche he was."

"Is." Angie corrected.

"Okay, what a douche he _is_. He was a grade A bully, super homophobic and was always picking on Ben and Eric every chance he could get. He also made it his mission to break up couples by getting girls to cheat with him and somehow letting it get back to the guy. It was like a little game to him.

"So the next day I find Mike and apologize for kicking him, I said that I was just scared because I didn't expect him that night. I ask him to meet me again that night at midnight and that I'd get rid of my tent-mates. I asked him to just get in quietly and join me in my sleeping bag so I wouldn't get scared again." I smiled widely at the memory.

"And he still agreed to come to you? Even after it was pointed out that you were still legally a child?" Edward asked.

"Yup. And he was super pumped about it too," I answered.

Angie picked up the story. "Meanwhile, after warning Ben about our plan, I propositioned Tyler with the same idea, but asked him to meet me at ten to midnight. I told him that I wanted to take the lead. I asked him to wait for me with his eyes closed, to stay silent and let me make him feel good."

"Oh no, really?" Edward gasped.

"Yeah, well, we figured it would take about five seconds before they figured out what was going on, but the two of them were in that tent together for more than five minutes before they both came out screaming," I laughed.

"Half undressed to boot," Angela interjected.

"To this day neither one of them will acknowledge it and we have no idea what happened between them. It must be bad though, because Mike still thinks I know more than I do and just the mere mention of that night is enough to keep him in line," I concluded.

"What happened to the other guy, Tyler? Is he still around?" Edward asked.

Ange answered, "Yeah he lives up in Olympia, I think. He shacked up with some cougar named Giana. After he failed out of college he got himself a job at the country club up there through a cousin or something. He set out to land himself a 'rich honey' as he so eloquently put it. From what I observed when he was last in town, she's not all that rich and she treats him like a pet," she shrugged.

"Wow," I said. "I don't like to go in for the town gossip, but that sounds like a fitting fate for the guy."

We talked for another hour before Angela had to head out. I loved how well the three of us got along. It seemed easy and relaxed. We loaded Ange's car up with presents for her, Ben and Baby along with a giant bag of leftovers since we'd be leaving in a couple of hours. After warm hugs and promises of visits and calls, I said good bye to my friend.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hi Lovelies. Here you go. For some reason this chapter was a beast, but I'm pretty happy with where things landed. I hope you enjoy. Thank you again for all of your lovely reviews. They mean so much to me : )**

 **Obligatory disclaimer: I do not own twilight, but I do own some very worn copies of the series ; )**

 **EPOV**

"Come on baby, let's get packed up," I said grabbing Bella's hand and pulling her back inside after we watched her friend drive away. She seemed a little down now that Angela had left, but that was to be expected. I had a feeling that Angela was more of a motivator for her visit than her family was.

"There's not much for me to pack really," she answered. "I was hoping we could stop off somewhere and get a few things for the beach. I just need a bathing suit and a couple of sundresses or tank tops and shorts."

"Oh, that won't be necessary," I said, stopping her in front of the large box that I'd opened early and set on the couch for her to go through. "Gotta love Alice." I picked up the card from the top and handed it to her. I had read it earlier when the box had arrived. I pulled Bella against my side as she read the card Alice wrote welcoming her to the family. Looking over, I saw her eyes begin to fill with moisture. I watched as she read Alice's declaration that she was certain they would be great friends and that she'd always wanted a sister. She told Bella that she'd shopped for a few things to make her vacation special and wished her a Merry Christmas before signing with love.

"Wow, your sister is something else, isn't she?" Bella muttered, peering into the box with a slightly apprehensive look on her face.

"She sure is. Don't worry though, she sent a fully packed suitcase, so you don't have to look at it until we get to the island if you don't want to," I offered.

After a moment more of staring into the box like something was going to jump out and bite her she sighed and said, "Okay, but I might still try to pick up a bathing suit on the way. Just in case your sister and I have differing opinions on appropriate beach wear."

"Baby it's a private island. Literally just you and me for two weeks. You can run around naked the whole time if you want. In fact, I'm highly in favor of that plan. Let's not bring anything." I smirked at the soft blush that grew on her cheeks. How could my girl be so stunningly confident and sweetly shy at the same time? It was a fascinating contradiction.

"I'll bring the suitcase and trust in Alice," she decided.

"Okay, well I still need to pack. Do you want to come up and hang out with me while I do that?"

She looked over at the clock, "Better not. We'll get distracted if I do and the car's gonna be here in an hour." I was surprised at how late it had gotten.

"Okay, well, feel free to put on a movie or something while you wait. I shouldn't take too long. I don't have much to bring." With that I made the mistake of kissing her soft pink lips. Before long I was pushing her up against the wall with her leg hitched high up on my hip. She ground herself against me and released the sexiest little moan. Somehow I pulled away from her. "It's a good thing you're not in a skirt again or I'd be buried deep inside you already and we'd definitely be running late."

"I don't mind running late," she answered in a breathy whisper, earning her a strangled groan from me.

"God, you'll be the death of me, you know that Love?" I pecked her lips chastely, released her leg and then made my way upstairs to pack.

To say Bella was stunned by the hotel and suite would be putting it mildly. In fact, I think she was a little pissed at the decadent suite my sister had booked for us. It took me a while to explain that, when I let Alice make arrangements, this is what I had signed up for. Alice didn't know any other way to travel. It would never occur to her that we didn't need the Presidential Suite at the Four Seasons. I'm not sure how she got the room on such short notice this time of year, but leave it to Alice to figure that out. She had no shame throwing our name or wealth around to get what she wanted.

After a late room service dinner of burgers and fries, we fell into bed and made love for far longer than we should have. After four hours of sleep we were in the car again, making the short journey to the airport. I really hoped she didn't freak out about the plane. I figured it was better to just let her find out in person, because she'd probably end up upset with the cost of things all over again anyhow. As we neared the private terminal, Bella was half asleep. Her head was on my lap and I was stroking her soft curls.

"Baby," I said quietly.

"Hmm…." she hummed.

"We're pulling up to the terminal now. You just grab the bag with your passport and everything else is taken care of," I said as she slowly sat up.

"What airline are we on?" she asked looking out the window. "I don't recognize this terminal."

"This is for certain international departures only. I doubt you would have ever been to this terminal." I answered, sidestepping her original question. She just nodded sleepily and followed me out of the car. I let her lean most of her weight on me as we made our way inside. Security was quick and before long we were led down to the tarmac.

"What's this?" Bella asked, suddenly alert after we returned to the chilly morning air. "What kind of flight are we on?"

"So, don't freak out," I said as her eyes narrowed at me. It was probably not the best way to start. I swallowed audibly and continued it an agitated rush, "This really was the easiest and cheapest way to do this on short notice. It's a private jet. I promise, it already belongs to my family and no one was using it right now. Hell I almost never use it. I've only been on here once and knowing Alice it has an entirely new interior by now." I ran my hand through my hair nervously. We'd come to a dead stop in front of the plane and I couldn't get a read on her reaction.

"Baby, please say something," I begged.

"Okay." she said.

"Okay?" I asked.

"Well there's not much to be done about it now. I would have fought you on this, which I suspect you know, but we'll talk about that later. Right now, I'm tired and I just want to get into, what I'm sure is a very comfy leather seat, and crash out for a while before breakfast."

I sighed I relief. "Okay, but after takeoff we can move into the bedroom if you want. Or you can lay down by yourself if you're pissed at me," I said sheepishly. I didn't like the idea of being away from her, but I knew she might be pissed about this when I had promised not to spend much on our trip.

"Bedroom?" she asked with wide eyes, turning back to the plane.

"Yup." I said, grabbing her hand and pulling her forward once more. She looked around the luxurious cabin as we boarded. Alice had indeed done a complete overhaul since I was last onboard a few years ago. Everything was decorated in soft creams and whites giving a light, welcoming vibe to the space. Bella flopped inelegantly down onto the window seat in the first row. It was, as she predicted a large, plush leather seat, complete with seat-warmers. I eased in to the seat next to her after stowing our bags.

The hostess came by to welcome us and offer us refreshments while we waited for takeoff. We both accepted some tea and croissants though we were too tired to have much of either. After we were in the air, I led my girl, who was dead on her feet, back to the compact bedroom at the rear of the jet. By the time I had her tucked in she was out cold, not even pausing to comment on the ridiculous opulence of the large inviting bed on board.

I slipped my arms around her and stared down at the beautiful creature in the bed next to me. How did I get here? How did she find me? It seemed like fate or providence that we should find each other against all reason. I barely interacted with anyone these days and she was only in town for a couple of days. Yet Bella had sat down next to me, on the one day this month that I ventured out into civilization. And we each of us were so guarded with people in general, but it seemed impossible to keep our walls up with each other. I rested on the pillow next to her and kissed her hair, breathing in her fresh, floral scent. I was so addicted to my girl already. God forbid she ever left me. I found myself humming the soothing melody that I'd been working on the other day in my studio. It kept swirling around my mind as I hugged Bella's body closer to mine and drifted off to sleep myself.

Something brushed gently against my nose and I scrubbed my hand over my face. It happened again and I sleepily swatted at the air around my face. Sweet giggles followed by another round of tickles brought me fully from sleep, but I kept my eyes closed. I felt Bella lean over me, preparing to assault me again. Without warning, I grabbed her and rolled us over, so that I was hovering above her on the bed. She squealed as I tickled her sides and blew a giant, wet raspberry on her neck.

"Ewww! Gross!" she screeched through her laughter as she attempted to wipe her neck on my arm. But I was having none of that. I redoubled my efforts.

"That'll teach you to mess with someone your own size," I said, continuing my tickle assault on her sides.

Her laughter was interrupted by gasps and desperate pleas for me to stop. I finally took pity on her when she claimed that I was going to make her pee. Her laughter quieted to soft giggles. I brushed the hair away from her face and got caught, yet again, in her warm, chocolate eyes. She reached up and brushed her fingers lightly across my cheek, sending a shiver through me.

"This would be an excellent opportunity for us to join the mile high club," I observed cheekily. "Unless of course, you're already a member." Why the hell did I suggest that? I didn't really want to know if she'd fucked someone else on a plane, or anywhere else for that matter.

Bella giggled sweetly, "Does it really count though, on a private jet with a bedroom? I mean, where's the exhibitionist element or the sense of danger?"

Okay, that really wasn't a no. "Sure, I suppose, it's not as risky as tiny commercial jet bathroom," I said as I began to slowly grind my boxer clad erection against her hot center and plant soft kisses along her collarbone. "But we could still get caught. There are three crew members onboard. Who knows when someone will stop by to check on us?" Her breath hitched as I swiveled my hips against her with slowly increasing pressure. She pressed her hips up against mine, rocking gently, extracting a growl from deep within my chest.

"You didn't answer me though," I said as I started sucking on the soft skin behind her ear.

"Huh?" she asked, slightly dazed.

I took her earlobe in my mouth, sucking it before gently scraping my teeth along it. "Would you like to join…or are you already a member?" I asked in hushed breath close to her ear. I was unsure of why I continued pursuing the topic. I didn't really want to hear more about her sexual exploits but curiosity and jealousy seemed to be driving me at the moment. I pulled back to look in her eyes and watched as a series of emotions quickly passed across her face: confusion, incredulity, and finally amusement.

"Yeah, I thought you understood how sexually inexperienced I was, but maybe I need to be clearer," she began. "Before I met you I'd had sex a total of four times. Every single time was…meh," she said avoiding my gaze. "And not once did it take place on an airplane."

Holy fuck, she was less experienced than I'd realized, "Baby, you were with the Asshole for years. How is that possible?"

Her face softened as she returned her eyes to mine and she stroked my cheek with the back of her hand, "Edward, I never felt this kind of connection or attraction for Jacob or anyone else either. With Jacob, it all felt so…forced and he put a lot of pressure on our physical relationship, which made me more reserved with him.

"I didn't know it could be like this," she continued, gesturing between the two of us, "I didn't know that it could be so incredible, that I could feel closer to you every single time we're together. I just always thought sex wasn't really that big of a deal for me, that I was the frigid, uptight girl that Jacob was always trying to paint me as."

I stared down at her for a moment, completely dumbfounded. The Asshole had done such a number on her. It was amazing she was as confident with me as she seemed. "Baby, you are by far the sexiest, most naturally sensual creature I can imagine. I am hard nearly every minute I'm near you and it's unfathomable to me that anyone, even that idiot you used to date, could call you frigid."

 **BPOV**

Looking into Edwards eyes, his sincerity was undeniable. The way this man made me feel was beyond anything I'd ever imagined. I'd never felt so cherished and desired. Sure men had wanted me before, but it had always felt superficial, or in the case of Jake, it was all about dominating me. Edward made me feel wanted in a whole new way; he burned for me the way that I burned for him and it was becoming fucking addictive.

A speaker on the wall interrupted our moment, asking us to return to our seats because we were approaching Houston for our layover. A few minutes later we settled back in the main cabin, more than a little disappointed at the interruption.

"We have to stop here for an hour and a half to refuel. It would be a shorter stop, but with the last minute flight added, this was the quickest turnaround they could give us," Edward said apologetically.

"I can't believe we have to wait on this luxury jet for a whole hour and a half longer than necessary. Whatever will we do with the time?" I asked with a devious smirk.

"Hmm…." He chuckled, pulling me snug against his side, "what indeed?"

As soon as we touched down Edward excused himself to use the bathroom. I decided to check my messages while I waited. Who knew when I would next have the chance? Apparently there's some kind of satellite phone and internet on the island, but no cell service. Turning on my phone, I groaned, seeing that I had seven new messages from Rose. This can't be good. Ignoring her messages, I made my way back into the bedroom as I called her back.

"What the fuck are you doing Bella?!" She barked at me in lieu of a greeting.

"Um, what?" I asked, a bit shocked by her abrasive tone.

"What. The. Fuck. Are. You. Thinking?" she yelled, her voice slightly colored by her normally suppressed accent. "Oh wait, you're clearly not thinking. Running off with a strange man to another country! Are you insane? Have I taught you nothing? We don't do shit like this, remember? We are smart, capable women and we don't need some douche-nozzle with a hard-on to complete us! Please tell me my brother was high and got all sorts of details wrong when he recapped your latest conversation!" She was sounding desperate now.

"Ro calm your tits! Jesus! Your accent is making a loud appearance, so you need to take a breath and get yourself under control before your head explodes or something." She huffed in the background. "I'm not sure what Jasper told you, but I'm fine, better than fine really. I'm really happy and you need to trust me. Okay?"

"No, it's not okay." She bit back. "I've been worried sick about how you would deal with seeing that Ass-hat Jacob again. I never imagined it would drive you to do something so idiotic. You've been avoiding my calls since you got there. I had to hear from Jasper that you're leaving the country with some dude you just met! What the hell! And Jay said he's like forty! Tell me you are not some old dude's midlife crisis! He's not married is he?" she gasped.

"Fucking hell Ro, I don't even know where to begin. No he's not fucking married." I snapped. "I'm kind of pissed about how stupid you seem to think I am all of the sudden so I'm just going to respond to the shit that I think deserves a response." I took a deep breath to try to calm myself. Rose could be a bit melodramatic at times, but I'd never experienced this kind of crazy from her. I mean married? Where the fuck did she even get that idea? "After the cluster-fuck with Jacob, I promised myself that I would always listen to my instincts and trust myself when it came to the important things in life. I ignored what my heart was telling me with Jacob, I let myself be guided by others, by guilt and his manipulative bullshit, and I ended up miserable and hurt."

"Don't you see," she interrupted, "that's why you need to protect yourself now and not jump headfirst into something with someone you hardly know?"

"No I don't see that Rose. I'm sorry, I know you mean well, but you're wrong about this. Every fiber of my being is telling me that this is right and that I shouldn't fight it or overthink it. Fuck, Ro, I overthink absolutely everything! What is the last impulsive thing you can remember me doing?" I didn't give her a chance to answer. I was getting more agitated as I spoke, but I knew I was right. "Really. I've been working my ass off, following the plan I've laid out for myself for the last eight years, and I love the life I've made, I really do, but I am ready to do something that isn't planned or analyzed. Something that just feels right. This is right and I don't need to explain myself to you or anyone. I love you Rose, but you need to deal with the choices I'm making even if you don't agree with them."

"And if he breaks your heart or worse, what then B?" she asked sadly. I knew her heart was in the right place. Rose was six years older than me and she'd taken me under her wing when things were really bad for me. I knew she couldn't help but get all mama bear on me at times. But this meant she could be protective to a fault.

"Edward's a really good guy. He's kind and loving and he's been really good to me since we met. I know this all feels rushed to you, but to me it's worth the risk. I'm trusting my gut and if I didn't I would always regret not trying," I explained. "If things go to shit, I will deal with it."

She huffed loudly and I knew she was running out of steam. "Fine. You know I'm here for you no matter what right? I will never throw an 'I told you so' in your face. If you need me, I'll be there."

"Thank you." I responded simply, not knowing what else to say.

There was a lingering, uncomfortable silence before Rose finally asked quietly, "How did things go with your family?"

I snorted in response.

"That well huh?" she asked cynically.

"About as expected. Charlie is a shadow of the man I knew, at least around me. He treats me like a nuisance. I wish I knew what I did to disappoint him so much. It can't be just leaving Forks, can it? I mean that's a lot of simmering disapproval for something like moving away for school, isn't it?"

Rose sighed heavily, "I don't know, B. Your family is as fucked as mine. I wish I could tell you it will all make sense someday, but I don't know if I believe things work out that cleanly in real life. I mean why do my parents want me to be a trophy wife rather than an engineer? They are straight up embarrassed about my career. I've given up on pleasing them. It's a lost cause."

"Oh, Rose. I'm sorry. Things aren't going well there either?" I felt so self-centered for forgetting how rough her folks could be.

"Naw, it's not too bad. They just keep trotting me out before potential husbands like I'm livestock ready for auction or something. I can usually defuse their interest pretty quickly with talk of my crazy Yankee education and my disdain for the patriarchy."

I giggled. Rose was the most outspoken feminist I'd ever met. She was a regular contributor to a couple of feminist publications and has been arrested at least half a dozen times at rallies and protests. I admired her commitment to her beliefs, but I also knew she was fueled by the shit she's been through in life.

We talked for a few minutes more, catching up on our crazy holiday visits home. When our conversation was winding down, I said, "I know you're just looking out for me Ro and I do appreciate it. I love you."

"Love you too," she said a sad resignation tingeing her voice. "Please be careful."

"I will. I promise," I replied.

There was a soft knock at the door a few minutes after I disconnected the call. Edward peeked his head in and asked, "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah," I said. "I was just talking to Rose. She thinks I'm being reckless and stupid running off with a stranger."

Edward looked a little anxious as I spoke. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously and said, "It's not too late to go home if you want to. I can take you home now or at any time. It would just take some sorting out to get the flights arranged, but it's no trouble if you're uncomfortable."

I closed the small distance between us, sliding my hands up his chest to the back of his neck before settling them into his hair. My eyes held his. "I'm not uncomfortable," I said simply. "How much did you overhear?" I asked after a pause.

"A bit," he answered sheepishly, so he was likely eavesdropping for some time. I didn't really mind. There was nothing I wouldn't have said in front of him and there was limited privacy on a small plane like this.

"Did you hear the bit about following my instincts?" I asked.

"Yes, but I left shortly after that. I really didn't mean to listen in. I'm sorry"

"It's okay, really." I tried to ease his mind. "I meant what I said, though. I knew things weren't right with Jacob. Everything in me told me that we weren't good for each other, but I let my insecurities take over and I didn't trust myself. I won't make that mistake again. This feels so right to me and I have to trust in that. The idea of walking away from you sounds…painful."

His arms slid up and down my back, rubbing slowly as he thought this over. "Rose is right to be concerned though. You haven't known me long. I could be some psycho dragging you off to my island lair."

I couldn't help the laugh that erupted from me. "Your island lair? What are you a Bond villain? Are you gonna paint me with gold or something when we get there?" He scowled at me playfully. He was trying not to smile at my joke, but I could see he was struggling.

I decided to explain a little about Rose without betraying her trust. "Rosalie has been hurt badly before. She's the reason I had the confidence to leave Jacob and follow through with my plan to go to M.I.T. against my father's wishes. She helped me see how unhealthy and at times abusive my relationship with Jacob was. I was very shy and insecure when I met her, I was only seventeen. She's helped me come into my own and to see my own strength rather than the weakness I used to see in myself."

"Did he hurt you?" he asked, a hard edge creeping into his voice.

I sighed, not really wanting to get into this now, but I'd opened that can of worms. "He didn't hit me if that's what you mean. But he was emotionally abusive and when I refused his proposal he got violent. I was lucky and he didn't hurt me much, but I know what he's capable of now."

"What did he do?" His voice was hard and there was a dangerous glint in his eye. I couldn't have imagined until that moment what a violent Edward would look like. I think if Jacob had been here things would have gotten ugly real fast.

"When he realized I was serious about my refusal, after many rounds of arguing, he pushed me hard against the wall in my apartment. I stumbled and fractured my arm on my kitchen counter. At the time I convinced myself it was an accident- that he didn't really mean to hurt me, but I know now that I should have pressed charges. Anyhow, Rose gets super protective of me. She's a bit older than me and she's seen me hurt before so she worries. You can't take it personally."

"I don't," he said, brushing his thumb along my cheekbone. "In fact, I really respect that she's looking out for you. I'm glad you've had someone like that in your corner. She sounds like a really good friend."

"She is." I said quietly, relieved at his understanding.

Edward leaned down and captured my lips softly with his. We shared slow, sweet kisses for a moment before he pulled away slightly to look into my eyes. He still held me close against his body. "I would never hurt you Bella, not in any way. I will do everything in my power to make you happy. Your happiness means so much to me, more to me than my own."

I was overwhelmed by his words and the passion I saw in his eyes. Before I could recover enough to respond, he started pulling me out of the room. "Come on. We'll be taking off soon and then we can have some lunch."

"Food sounds good." I sighed, only just realizing how hungry I'd become.

 **EPOV**

"What's this?" I asked, looking down at the small box she'd placed in my hand. We'd just finished lunch and were sitting at the small table in the main cabin.

"What's it look like?" she snarked. "It's a present."

"You got me a present?" I asked, surprised. "When did you have time?"

She looked over at me nervously. "Just open it. It's nothing big I promise."

I pulled the end of the green ribbon and unwound it from the small, golden box. Lifting the lid, I was surprised to find a little music player and earbuds inside.

"It's an old one of mine, a cheap one. I found it at the house in my stuff," she explained. "I filled it with my current favorites. Things you may have missed in exile."

I pulled it from the box and turned it on. The display flashed to life and I scrolled through the playlist. Sure enough I'd hardly heard of any of the artists listed. I looked over at her, seeing a slightly nervous expression on her face. "Thank you, sweet girl. I can't wait to listen to it." I leaned over and pressed a kiss to her lips. I pulled away and went to grab something from my bag. I placed the small rectangular box in front of her on the table.

"You got me something too?" she asked.

"Merry Christmas, baby," I said.

She pulled the silver bow off of the box and stuck it in her hair before opening the box. She gasped as she pulled the silver chain from the box and lifted the necklace to examine the pendant closely.

"Oxytocin?" she asked. Her smile was radiant as she looked over at me. "The love hormone…" she murmured quietly.

"I had remembered seeing this artist a while back in an article I was reading. She does all of these paintings of human anatomy inspired art and then turns them into jewelry," I explained. "I thought you would like the oxytocin one. As you said, it's called the love hormone. I also read that it's thought to be essential to building bonds and trust between people. It seemed appropriate," I shrugged.

"I love it thank you," she looked over at me with misty eyes. "It's beautiful. So lovely and thoughtful." She stared down at the pendant for a moment before a small crooked grin pulled at her lips. "You know, oxytocin is known as the love hormone for a number of reasons. One of them is that scientists think it's released during cuddling, touching, and orgasm." She looked up at me with a mischievous grin. "So thank you for my sweet, geeky, slightly dirty gift. It's perfect."

"Just like you?" I said without thinking.

Her brows rose in surprise. "Sweet, geeky and slightly dirty?" she asked, amused.

"And perfect," I said quietly.

She shook her head. "No, I'm not perfect. Far from it."

"You're perfect for me," I whispered, tucking a stray tendril of hair behind her ear. She ducked her head and smiled shyly, running her fingers reverently over the pendant.

"Thank you," she answered. She lifted her hair and clasped the chain around her neck. The pendant nestled perfectly in the hollow between her collar bones. Wordlessly, she stood from the table and pulled me up by the hand. I followed her to the small bedroom and closed the door behind us. We remained silent as she began to work the buttons down the front of my shirt. Looking into her eyes I saw desire and love, at least I hoped that's what I was seeing. And I hoped she could see all the love I had for her in my own expression.

Without prompting I began helping her out of her own clothing. Soon we were both standing naked in center of the small space. I leaned down and kissed along her collar bone, pausing for a moment to place a small peck on her pendant. Her hands found their way into my hair and the grasp her fingers took was far from gentle causing me to moan as my lips traveled down to the peak of her breast. My kisses were soft, slow, and reverent. I needed her to feel what I couldn't yet tell her. I needed her to feel with every touch, every caress of my tongue along her sweet skin that I loved her completely with everything I was. I wanted so badly to tell her, but I wasn't ready to say the words and I was sure she wasn't ready to hear them. This would have to do for now.

I bent down further and grasped the back of her thighs so I could carry her to the bed. Just as I began to lift her, the room shook slightly, causing us to fall awkwardly toward the bed. I had nearly forgotten where we were for a moment, I was so lost in the wonders of Bella's soft curves. We landed lightly on the messy bed, the intense silence broken suddenly by our light laughter. Catching me off guard, she pushed me suddenly so that my back was now on the bed and she straddled my hips. I watched in wonder as she reached between her toned thighs and stroked my already aching cock before lowering herself onto me.

I felt as though I was seeing Bella come into her own sexuality before my eyes. Her confidence was growing every time we made love and it was a stunning sight to see. I was a lucky bastard to be here with her. I ran my hand up her stomach and between her full breasts as she rocked and rotated her hips in rhythmic patterns over me. With each twist or thrust of her hips, her grip on my cock intensified. After a while I couldn't take the sweet torture any longer. I grabbed her hips and guided her to a faster pace. I thrusted up into her as she threw her head back and released a loud moan. I was dimly aware of more turbulent jostling going on around us, but it was hard to focus on anything other than the delicious woman riding me. I felt myself getting close, but I really needed her to come first.

Reaching between us, I began rubbing small, firm circles on her swollen clit. This seemed to knock away any lasting inhibitions and her movements became wild with lust. Moments later her body shuddered and her muscles tensed as her climax washed over her. The feeling of her pussy tightened around me combined with the breathtaking sight of her coming over me, pushed me rapidly over the edge. I pulled her down hard against me as I gritted out her name, pulsing deep within her. Bella slumped down on me, her head resting on my chest, both of us sweaty, panting, and sated.

I kissed her head and ran my fingers through her hair as she struggled to calm her breathing. She shuddered again, as if a chill had run through her and I pulled the sheet over us.

"Does it just keep getting better and better?" she asked, half mumbling into my chest. So damned cute.

"I don't know. I hope so. It's never been like this for me either," I replied honestly. It wasn't as if sex before Bella had been bad or anything, but nothing could have prepared me for what this kind of intense connection with someone would feel like. I used to think I had loved Tanya, and maybe I had in a way. But the love I felt for Bella was something completely new. It heightened every sense and amplified every feeling. I felt as though I was seeing the world in sharp focus for the first time and it was a bit disorienting. The plane jostled again, drawing me from my thoughts.

"We should get dressed," I said reluctantly. "We may need to move into the main cabin and buckle up if this turbulence continues."

She lifted her head from my chest, looking like she was more than ready for another nap. I brushed the damp hair from her face and stole a kiss from her swollen lips.

"How about we go up front, get some drinks, and curl up in those comfy seats?" I asked. "We have tons of movies in the system to choose from. We could just veg out and watch something mindless for a couple of hours. How does that sound?"

"That sounds pretty nice actually, but nothing heavy. I want a light, stupid comedy or something action packed and frivolous."

She lifted herself off me and started searching for her clothes on the floor. It took us a bit to find everything and redress, but eventually we found ourselves snuggled up watching some superhero movie.

I kissed her temple and said, "That totally counts, by the way."

She looked up at me in confusion and then her eyes narrowed in understanding. "No way. It so doesn't count on a private jet! It's not the mile high club if you have a private bedroom!" she replied exasperated. I fucking loved riling her up. I loved that I could get her to argue passionately about something as dumb as this. I kissed her again laughing.

"Okay baby. That just means we'll have to fly commercial on our next trip," I said smugly.

"Ewww. No. I'm not having sex in some disgusting airplane bathroom." She shuddered at the thought. "Plus you're too tall. Logistically, that would be ridiculous."

I just smiled at her as she rolled her eyes at me. Unknowingly, she had thrown down a gauntlet and I was totally taking on that challenge.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hello Lovelies. Thank you so very much for the kind reviews & thanks to the reader who recommended this story on ADF, that made my day : ) I hope you like the chapter. It's a bit of heavy and a bit of light all mixed up with hint of lemon. Enjoy!**

 **As always, I do not own twilight or its characters. I do however own so many books that I have nowhere to put them anymore ; ) I am getting a new bookshelf tomorrow though, maybe that'll help a bit**

 **CH7**

 **BPOV**

The trip had been exhausting, but it's hard to complain when you're traveling like a celebrity. We landed late and caught a car to our hotel. We did little more than shower and sleep before we were back in a car headed to the dock. By eight the next morning we were speeding along in a chartered boat headed toward the 'small' island. It didn't look so small to me as we approached it. It looked like it could easily hold the population of Forks. Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration, but it was a proper fucking island with beaches and tropical foliage and rocky faces to climb. The house, like everything else Cullen it would seem, was amazing. Glass on all sides. Nearly every room had panoramic views of the ocean. It was breathtaking.

"Do you want to unpack while I go and make sure everything is in order?" Edward asked after we'd dropped the bags in the room we were staying in. The room was decorated simply, but elegantly. A large bed with plush looking linens sat facing a wide expanse of window. Every surface was cream or teak and it reminded me a bit of the style of the Cullen jet. Perhaps it was just Alice's style I was beginning to recognize.

Edward pulled me into his arms and nuzzled my neck affectionately. It seemed more and more difficult for us to be near each other and not be touching. We were drawn together like magnets.

"None of us have been down here in some time. Alice was the last to visit, a year and a half ago. Only the caretaker who lives on the mainland comes here regularly. I just want to make sure we have everything we need before it gets late in the day so we have time to sort it all out before nightfall."

"Sure." I said, kissing him softly. "Do you need any help?"

"No. It shouldn't take me long. I just want to check the generator and supplies before we get settled in. The caretaker should be out next week with a delivery of groceries so we can make a list of anything we might want her to bring."

"Okay babe. I'll be here when you're done." I kissed him once for good measure, but it quickly turned heated. I could live off of the taste of his lips. The heat of his tongue swirling against my own was enough to make me dizzy with want. He pulled away reluctantly; I could see the conflict in his eyes.

"God. You make it so difficult to be responsible, do you know that?" He teased turning to go. I swatted his ass as he walked away from me.

"Always being so responsible…" I tsked with a smirk.

"Well one of us has to be," he called over his shoulder.

I just shook my head as he disappeared around the corner. Pulling out my tiny Bluetooth speaker (I took that sucker everywhere with me), I scrolled through to my 'get me through the boring shit' playlist. I bounced over to the suitcases on the bed as the sounds of Nikki Manaj and Beyonce filled the room. Unpacking the case that Alice had sent to me taught me many things about Edward's sister. It taught me that she was unreasonably comfortable buying tiny, lacy lingerie for the woman her brother is currently sleeping with. That seemed a bit odd to me. I also learned that she had excellent, expensive taste that was much more revealing than I was comfortable with. Again, I had to ask, who buys their brother's girlfriend a teeny tiny white bikini that barely covers the goods? Edward must have estimated my size wrong when she asked, because that thing was microscopic.

After I'd emptied my bags, filling a small set of drawers in the room, I began to unpack Edward's things. M.I.A's "Bad Girls" came on the speaker and I couldn't help but sing along. I was placing that last of Edward's things in a drawer, rapping loudly, "My chain hits my chest when I'm bangin' on the dashboard, My chain hits my chest when I'm bangin' on the radio…" when strong arms gripped me by the hips. I shrieked in shock and turned to find Edward laughing at my expense. It was hard to be pissed at him, he looked so young and carefree. The mirth in his eyes erased all my irritation instantly. I smacked him on the chest before reaching over to turn the volume down.

"You scared the crap out of me!" I complained, playfully scowling at him.

He just continued to laugh, "I'm sorry, but you just looked so irresistible." He grabbed my hips again and pulled me hard against him. "You're fucking sexy when you're dancing like that, you know."

I felt my cheeks heat up. I hardly ever blushed anymore. It was such an embarrassing trait of mine when I was a teenager, but I'd outgrown it long ago. Somehow I couldn't help but feel vulnerable with this man. He reached up and brushed over my cheek with his thumb.

"You're so lovely. I didn't mean to make you self-conscious." He dropped a kiss on my forehead and pulled me into a tight embrace. "Thanks for putting my things away. You didn't have to do that."

"It's okay. It only took me a few minutes." I answered, kissing his chest, his shirt slightly damp from sweat. The day was beginning to heat up. "Did you get everything settled with the house?"

"Yeah, everything is working and we're set in case of a power outage. The house runs mostly on solar with some backup measures, but storms here can start quite suddenly and the extra generators can be necessary," he explained. "Let's get some food and then I can show you around properly."

After lunch Edward made good on his promise of showing me around. We must have hiked half the island by the time the sun started to get low in the sky. It was summer here in the southern hemisphere and the weather was, fortunately not too crazy hot. The island was beautiful and if I'd been a better hiker I would have been in heaven, but I was slow compared to Edward. I was fit, but rather an indoorsy kind of girl. It was fun trying to keep up with him though and I didn't much mind the constant view of his toned ass leading me around.

By the time we got back to the house it was late. Edward fixed a quick dinner while I showered. We ate on the deck, watching the sunset. Sensing how tired I was, and I believe feeling a little guilty, Edward wouldn't let me do anything for myself. He served me grilled fish and salad. He filled my cup if it was empty and kept asking me if I needed anything. If I hadn't been so tired I would have likely found it endearing. Edward went to shower while I read in the library. It was a lovely, open room packed with books and games. I settled in an overstuffed chair by the window enjoying the evening breeze and the corny mystery I'd pulled from the shelves.

 **EPOV**

It took me a while to find Bella after my shower. It had been a long day and we were both wiped, but clearly my girl was beyond exhausted. I saw that she was fading at dinner and tried to make sure she had enough water to rehydrate after our busy day, but she was obviously ready for sleep. I found her settled in a large chair by the window, slumped over with a book on her chest. She looked so young in that moment, curled up asleep with her hair blowing softly in the breeze.

Setting her book aside, I lifted her and carried her down the hall toward our room. It's a good thing she was such a slight little thing with the amount of time I seemed to end up carrying her. She snuggled against my chest and hummed contentedly as I walked. We'd have to spend the day tomorrow just lazing about so she could recover. I may have been a bit too excited to show Bella around the island. I didn't even realize how much we'd covered until it was getting late in the day. Climbing in bed next to her, I felt my own fatigue settle over me like a heavy blanket. The last thought that passed through my head as I was succumbing to my tiredness was that we'd spent an entire day together and hadn't had sex. That was a first for us. It was surprisingly not disappointing. The day had been perfect.

There's morning wood and then there's waking up to the feeling of wet, hot kisses trailing down your body and settling between your thighs. I opened my eyes to find the beautiful sight of Bella's lips leaving an open mouth kiss on the head of my very hard cock. She'd settled herself between my legs and the lust filled expression on her face showed me how much she was enjoying her little wake-up call too.

"Fuck baby that feels amazing," I said, my voice rough with sleep.

She continued to lick and suck on the end of my cock, but it wasn't enough. "Please Bella, don't tease me. I need more baby." She smiled wickedly and kissed the end of my cock once more. Before I could complain she took all of me all in her hot little mouth.

"Fuuuuck!" I groaned loudly.

I slid my fingers into her messy hair and tightened my grip slightly. I was rewarded with a moan that vibrated around my cock. Bella slid her hand around my hip, grabbing my ass and pushing up signaling that she wanted me to fuck her mouth. Fuck, my girl was dirty. My hips began to thrust gently at first, but I'd learned already how much she enjoyed it when I was a little rough. She moaned around me again as I began to thrust into her mouth with more force. But it wasn't enough, I wanted to taste her too. I sat up on my elbows and Bella looked up at me with confusion on her face. I couldn't blame her, it took a lot for me to stop what she was doing, even for a moment.

"Come here baby," I said, reaching an arm out toward her. "I want to taste you too."

She looked at me uncertainly for a moment before turning her body around to straddle my face. Fuck that was sexy. I pulled on her hips so that her pussy was directly over my face.

"Damn baby, you're soaked," I groaned as I took my first lick up her slit.

"Oh my God!" Bella moaned before taking me in her mouth again. I pulled her hips down further so she rested her weight against me more fully. She tasted incredible as I slid my tongue in and out of her. Before long our bodies were moving in tandem as we each thrust our hips against the other. I moved my mouth to Bella's clit and slid two fingers into her pussy. She bucked her hips kind of wildly in response. It seemed my girl liked that. I thrust my fingers more forcefully in and out of her as I sucked hard on her clit. She took me further down her throat than ever and I moaned against her. I didn't even have time to warn her, when she tugged on my balls I came hard down her throat. She kept thrusting her hips hard against my face. I was lost in my own orgasm when I felt her muscles tighten and pulse over my fingers. I realized that I hadn't ever stopped sucking hard on her clit as I came. It seemed like her orgasm continued forever before she rolled off me and lay limp at my side.

"Holy Hell!" she breathed out. I turned to see her flushed chest rising and falling rapidly. I reached out lazily for her hand and twined our fingers together.

"Just keeps getting fucking better and better," she murmured causing me to laugh softly.

"I concur baby. That was fucking unbelievable." I said.

She turned her body around and rested her head on my chest. Still slightly sluggish, I flopped my arm lethargically onto her back and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"I was a little nervous at first. I've never done anything like that." She admitted softly. "But everything with you seems so consuming and once we begin something I forget to be nervous or insecure. I just lose myself so completely in the moment with you."

"I know what you mean. Everything seems so natural." I said, tucking her wild hair behind her ear. "I've never done that before either. I just really wanted to taste you, but I didn't really want you to stop." I said with a smirk. She giggled at that and I dropped a kiss on her hair. Tanya had never been adventurous in bed….well or anywhere else for that matter. She was someone who enjoyed safety, security and predictability. Oral sex was barely on the table in that relationship, so sixty-nining would have been absurd. But the funny thing was I was never comfortable enough to even desire more with her. At the time I thought I was content, but it was clear to me now that I was really just settling.

Shaking off unpleasant memories I looked at the beautiful girl in my arms and asked, "Are you hungry?"

"Sure," she said. She sat up and stretched her arms over head, giving me a spectacular view of her gorgeous body. "I'll cook this morning. I know I wasn't very helpful yesterday. You wiped me out with all your hiking and climbing."

"Climbing?" I asked in confusion. "We didn't do any climbing yesterday."

"What about that rocky part you took me over? That was climbing in my book," she asked. I was enjoying her breasts bouncing as she gestured with her hands, something she often did when she was arguing a point.

"Um, baby are you talking about the two foot section of rocks that I lifted you over?" I asked with a laugh. "I would hardly call that climbing."

"Whatever!" she threw her hands up in exasperation and hopped out of bed.

"Wait, I'm sorry. It was totally climbing. You're an awesome climber." I called after her as she slipped on a robe and walked toward the door. I was having trouble keeping the laughter out of my voice. But she was fucking adorable.

"Now you're just being patronizing," she huffed. She flipped me off behind her back as she left the room. I couldn't hold back my laughter after that. I felt a little bad when I heard the door slam, but I knew she wasn't really pissed. I was glad that I was learning to read Bella. It made me feel more confident in us that I was starting to know her so well.

I joined her in the kitchen as she plated up some eggs, tortillas and avocado slices. She drizzled some red sauce over the eggs and sprinkled something green over the top, some herb probably.

"Wow it smells incredible in here." I said as I poured myself a cup of coffee from the pot.

She looked up at me and smiled brightly, telling me instantly that I was right about her not being angry before. "Bring that and the salt and pepper. I have us all set up outside." She said as she lifted the plates from the counter and headed out.

We sat in the morning sunshine and ate our fucking delicious breakfast; my girl could be a fucking chef, I shit you not. We settled on having a lazy beach day and I sent her inside to change while I took care of clean up. I was already in my board shorts so I grabbed a book, my reading glasses and a bag of beach stuff that Bella had put together earlier before meeting her on the deck. She looked sinful in the tiny suit Alice had chosen for her. It weirded me out a bit that my sister had chosen all of the tiny clothes I'd seen Bella in the last couple of days, but I was trying not to think too much and just enjoy the view of my sexy as fuck girlfriend.

We walked the short distance to my favorite beach on the island. It wasn't far from the house so it was easy enough to go without packing much of anything. We were settled on a blanket and I was rubbing sunscreen onto Bella's shoulders when she asked the last question I was expecting at the moment.

"Will you tell me about Tanya?" she said quietly. She had opened up to me so much on the trip over about the Asshole. I knew there was more to share, but she had told me a lot of her story already. I just hated wasting any time with Bella thinking about this shit, but I knew we needed to get all our relationship history on the table.

I sighed and put the lotion aside. "I grew up with Tanya. Her family was close with mine and we were friendly as kids. I wouldn't say friends, but more like we hung out when our families got together over the years." I started. Bella turned around so that she was facing me on the blanket. She draped her legs over mine and held my hand on her lap. I loved that she knew how much I didn't want to talk about this; she was trying to comfort me.

"Anyhow. Tanya went away for high school to some uppity place in New England, so I didn't see her for a few years. She came with her family to my going away party before I left for Julliard. We hit it off and exchanged info, but I didn't really expect to keep in touch. She still had a year left at school and I was really intense about my music. We wrote to each other a bit, just a letter here and there, but there was nothing particularly romantic about it, at least for me.

"A couple of years after I graduated, I was apprenticing for a composer in New York when I ran into Tanya at a party. She was a junior account executive for an ad firm in town and she was eager to rekindle our friendship. I was really career focused at the time, trying to pay my dues and make a name for myself. I wasn't really all that interested in her, to be honest. I mean she was a beautiful woman, but I didn't feel much of a spark with her.

"But she pursued me pretty hard, insisting that we'd be perfect together and even drafting my parents to pressure me. In hindsight it was kind of nuts, but I was young and lonely at the time. I eventually caved. And so, I spent my late twenties in a mediocre relationship and I probably would have been unhappily married to that woman if my mother hadn't gotten sick."

I looked over at the grim expression on Bella's face. The whole time I spoke she'd been rubbing soft circles into my palm. I hated that this was upsetting her, but we'd agreed on being open so that's what I was trying to do. I knew how she felt though. I hated hearing about her with Jacob. Even if that guy wasn't a violent prick, it'd be hard to hear about her with another man. I reached up with my free hand and cupped her cheek.

"Are you okay? Do you want me to finish this story later?" I asked.

"No I'm okay. It's hard to think about you being so unhappy." She said. "Well, it's hard to hear about you with anyone else, but I hate the idea of you spending years of your life with someone you tolerated instead of loved."

"When we were together I thought that I loved her. I convinced myself that the familiarity and friendship we had was love, but now that I've experienced this with you. I know how far off I was. I've only known you a week and my feelings are far more intense than they ever were in the years I was with Tanya." I watched Bella's eyes widen at my confession, but she didn't interrupt me so I continued, "My mom didn't tell me she was sick right away. It wasn't until she was pretty far along in her treatment that I started noticing things. We were all away from home. Emmett and Alice were in boarding school and I was living in New York with Tanya. By the time I learned about her cancer, her treatment options were dwindling. I started going home a lot to help out and pretty soon I just decided to stay.

"Tanya put on a good front for a while. She played the supportive girlfriend well from afar. But she never came to visit me. There was always some work emergency or obligation preventing her from coming out to see me. And it wasn't like I could easily fly back to New York. My mother needed me. When I told Tanya about my mother's request to spend her final days in Forks she seemed supportive. But when days turned to weeks turned to months, it came to a point where I rarely heard from her. She not only didn't visit, but at that point she rarely called or answered my calls.

"When I finally got her on the phone after a couple of weeks of trying, we had a monster fight and she finally confessed that it had all become too hard for her. My mother's illness was too fucking hard on _her_ and too big a part of _her_ life. Before this she had been pressuring me for a ring, but when shit got real all she could do was cut and run." God I hated talking about this shit.

Tears were rolling down Bella's cheeks and I wiped away a few. I took a deep breath and braced myself for her reaction to the end of the story. "Turns out she had been seeing someone the whole time I was away. Some guy she met at work. They got engaged a couple of weeks after she officially broke up with me. The only reason I knew about it at all is that Alice is good friends with Tanya's sister Kate."

"Jesus! What a horrible bitch!" Bella said suddenly, causing me to snort in amusement.

"Uh, yeah. She really is, but I can't really regret it. I'm so glad she cheated and left me. I could have ended up in a toxic, loveless marriage. I was bitter for a long time, but you've helped me realize the bullet that I dodged."

"You just deserve so much better, so much more," she said, her voice thick with emotion. "She is a truly hideous human being to let things drag out like that when your mom was sick. And then to try to blame your mother for the failure of your relationship, that is fucking evil, seriously who does shit like that!"

"Well, now you know my sad tale. I dated a bit in college before her, but like I said I was pretty intensely focused on my work so nothing really could compete with that at the time. And I already told you that I had a couple of one night stands after Tanya left me. Things were so stressful with my mother's illness, and I was so angry. I tried to find some comfort a couple of nights, but it only left me feeling worse. So instead I chose to lock myself away. Yeah, so that's my story."

Bella nodded. She pulled me down with her so we were resting on the blanket in the shade of the umbrella I'd carried out from the house earlier. She pressed light kisses on my face and ran her fingers softly through my hair.

"You're a really good man Edward. You deserved so much better than that." Her eyes were wide and vulnerable as she spoke. "You said on the plane that you would never hurt me. Well, I would never hurt you either. I…I care very deeply for you already and I will do everything I can to be good to you. You deserve to be happy and loved." Loved. She'd said loved. Did that mean that she loved me already? Or that she could see herself finding love with me? Either way, I would consider myself a lucky bastard. To be deserving of this girl's love would be a fucking gift.

A while later, after lying there quietly I said, "I know now is not the time, we've had enough of history lesson for today, but I'd like to hear the rest of your story with Jacob. If you would tell me. I want to understand as much as I can."

She took a shuddering breath and said, "Okay. Maybe tomorrow though. Alright?"

"Sure baby." I said kissing her lips softly. "It can be tomorrow or later in our stay. It would just help me to understand."

She nodded and then leaned over for another kiss, which was way better than discussing horrible exes and long buried painful memories.

Four days. It took four days and a tropical storm to get Bella to open up about her history with Jacob.

The main power was down and we were lounging around on a blanket on the bedroom floor, in the dim light, eating the last of the ice cream from the freezer. The emergency generators would keep a few appliances running and the auxiliary lighting working, but most of the house was dark and quiet. The house was stuffy and hot because the a\c wasn't working, so we were down to just our underwear. We'd been playing cards, alternating between Rummy and Spit. I'd learned that Bella was fiercely competitive and could be a little vicious when she felt she was being cheated. I may or may not have been riling her up on purpose. The wind howled outside, making the house shudder and shake. The shutters were closed and secured, protecting the house and us from the worst of the storm's power.

We'd just started a new hand of Rummy when Bella spoke so softly I barely heard her.

"Charlie always wanted me and Jacob to end up together." She took a deep breath and when she spoke again her voice was still vulnerable, but a bit stronger. "I never really saw him that way, but we were friends when we were kids. Jake was fun to be around, believe it or not. He was always cracking me up and keeping me from taking things too seriously. As you can imagine, I was always a serious kid." Leaving her cards on the floor beside her, she scooted over to me and rested her head on my chest. I hugged her close to me and dropped loving kisses on her head occasionally as she spoke. I wanted to lend her strength as she had when I told her my own history.

"Jake asked me out several times when we were in high school, but I always kept things platonic. When I left home, things got really tough for me. I'm sure it's not surprising that being a fifteen year old freshman in college makes you a bit of a social outcast. I was this small, shy, painfully geeky girl. I kept to myself and worked my ass off taking as many classes as they would allow. I had left home just after graduation in May to enter into a selective summer program at U Dub. It allowed me to get further ahead in my classes and I was really driven so I jumped at the opportunity.

"My summer and fall were the loneliest times I can remember. I barely spoke to anyone unless necessary and I found myself becoming more awkward and self-conscious as the months passed. By the time I got home for winter break, I was desperate for any human contact. Jacob recognized how vulnerable I was and took advantage of it."

"Where was Angela? Didn't she go to school with you? Wasn't she around at break?" I asked, confused. How had her friends let her suffer like this?

"Angela tried, she really did, but she was at a school in Tacoma. She tried to keep in touch with me, but she was overwhelmed herself. It was the first time she'd been on her own and she'd led a fairly sheltered existence before that. Also, Ben was at school in Portland so they were struggling to adjust to the whole long distance thing.

"I also have a way of internalizing things, so I didn't let on how unhappy I was. She truly thought I was doing fine at school. Her folks took her away to visit family in Oregon for most of winter break, so she didn't know Jake and I got together until well after it happened.

"At first we were just hanging out as friends, but I was so lonely and he was the first person to be nice to me or pay attention to me in so long. I let him. We went out a couple of times and I let him kiss me. Before I knew what was happening he'd told Charlie that he was my boyfriend and my father was fucking thrilled. He'd been spending all his time with Sue and I think he felt less guilty for ignoring me if I had Jake to hang out with. Anyhow, I kind of let it happen and it wasn't until I went back to school that he started to get possessive and controlling.

"I'm not sure what changed. I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out how my sweet, funny friend turned into such a massive prick." I couldn't help but tighten my hold on her as I heard the pain lacing her voice. "Jacob got frustrated that I wasn't more available to him. He would show up at my dorm and wait for me. If I was coming back late from a study group or working my job at the library he would accuse me of cheating on him or being out partying. It was ridiculous; I had literally no friends for the first year and a half at U Dub and he thought my social life was interfering with our relationship.

"Pretty soon he was playing on my insecurities, trying to make me believe that no one else wanted to be around me, that I was lucky he was willing to be with me. I'm not sure exactly when he started sleeping with Leah, but I'm pretty sure it was about a year into our relationship. Jacob had been pressuring me pretty heavily to move our physical relationship to the next level the whole time I was home for Thanksgiving. When I came back for winter break I expected the same, but he had backed off. And I didn't really put it together until later, but that was also when my relationship with Leah turned toxic. Before that we'd pretty much just tolerated each other, but over that visit she let me know just how much she despised me."

"Baby, when did you figure out all of this? It must have been so confusing at the time. How old were you sixteen?"

"I'd turned seventeen that fall, but yeah I was confused and Charlie was no help. He just kept on and on about what a catch Jake was and how lucky I'd be to move back and have someone like him to settle down with."

"Jesus! Your dad really doesn't see you very clearly does he?" I asked rhetorically. "You're an amazing person and the idea of you settling down and starting to pop out babies in Forks at seventeen is insanity. Most parents would be thrilled to have an amazing, brilliant daughter!" Seriously what the fuck was wrong with her family.

She sighed heavily and snuggled further into my side. "We have different perspectives on the world, that's for sure. He takes every choice I make as a criticism of his own choices. It's as if, by not choosing to go back to Forks, I was rejecting everything he valued, you know? At least, that's the best I can figure."

"But you're so young. Your teens and twenties are supposed to be about spreading your wings and figuring yourself out, at least if you have the luxury to do that. I know some people have to jump right into adulthood, but you've had so many opportunities. I don't understand how he could fault you for taking advantage of them."

"Maybe because he didn't get that chance, being a teen dad and all. I don't know," she shrugged.

"Sometime late into the spring semester Jacob started a new level of crazy controlling. He would show up all the time outside my classes, he'd call me to check up on me night and day. His father, Billy has a degenerative disorder that caused him to lose his mobility. He'd started to get much worse that spring and Jacob didn't handle it well. That's how I ended up losing my virginity. Jacob came by my dorm one night and he was a wreck. He was really upset about Billy and I was comforting him. He started to kiss me and touch me and he kept telling me that he needed this, that he needed to feel close to me. I just let him."

I growled at that. I couldn't help it. The boy had used her goodness, her compassion against her to get what he wanted. I looked down at her and saw that she was crying.

"I'm sorry he took that from you." I said.

She sat up, leaning on my chest and said, "He didn't rape me. I know that he manipulated me, but I said yes. I will take ownership of my part in things."

"I know you agreed, but he used your kindness to get what he wanted. That's really fucked up." I brushed the tears from her cheeks and brought her faced down to mine for a kiss.

"Yeah, I know. Well needless to say it wasn't a good experience for me. I let him talk me into it one more time, just before we broke up. He kept telling me that it would be better the second time. That I needed to try it again because a girl's first time always sucks." She snorted and laid her head back on my chest. "The fucker didn't even try to get me ready for him or try to make me come. Not either time. I really thought sex was the most overrated thing ever for the longest time."

"Asshole." I muttered.

"So, by then, I'd started to hang out with Rose and she'd helped me to begin to see things more clearly for what they were. She gave me the confidence to stand up for what I wanted and to break things off with Jacob. Charlie was furious. He told me I would never find anyone who would treat me as well as Jacob and that I was a complete disappointment to him. So, I ended up leaving for the east coast directly after graduation, broken arm and all. Rose already had our place so I just moved in early."

"Wow." I tried to process everything she'd told me. It was hard to believe she'd survived all this shit. She'd been through so much disappointment in her young life. I wrapped both arms tightly around her, holding her firmly against me. We lay silently listening to the sounds of the storm outside.

Something had been puzzling me. "Love, why were you so hesitant to tell me this part? You told me about so much horrible shit with your family and the Asshole before. Why was this part so much harder for you?"

She was silent for a while and I was beginning to wonder if she'd fallen asleep. Her voice was small and tired when she spoke. "I'm embarrassed," she whispered. "Ashamed, really. I'm ashamed that I let myself be manipulated like that, that I let him hurt me, that I let a man I barely liked anymore use me like that. It's embarrassing to feel so foolish, to feel so stupid."

"Oh, baby, you have nothing to be embarrassed about. He's the one who should be embarrassed. He abused you and betrayed the friendship you used to have." I pulled back to catch her eye. I needed her to see the truth in my words. "He took the best part of you, the compassionate, loving side and used it to take from you. You _were_ strong when it mattered. If you weren't, you'd be there still, married and making yourself miserable in an effort to make your father and that Asshole happy."

She didn't look completely convinced. I could tell there was still part of her that wanted to claim some of the blame for letting him treat her the way he did. It would take time, I knew, to get her to see how blameless she was. But time we had, at least as I saw things going with us.

A particularly intense burst of wind shook the house and the lights flickered in response. Bella jumped a bit at the sudden noise and buried her face against my chest. I held her tight, trying with everything in me to make her feel protected and safe.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hi there friends. Here's another one for you. You still with me? Enjoy.**

 **obligatory disclaimer: I do not own twilight or its characters.**

 **BPOV**

I had been awake for some time, but my oh-so-logical mind was convinced that if I didn't open my eyes I could somehow slow down the passage of time. I really couldn't understand how this couple of weeks had passed so quickly. Today was our last full day on the island and I really wanted to just stay here forever, with Edward of course, living out some luxurious version of a Blue Lagoon fantasy. It was sort of tempting to stay here and never return to real life. Especially tempting because Edward had spent the last few days using _every_ possible method of persuasion to convince me to stay here and forget about the outside world. I mean, that man is sexy as fuck when he's not trying. When he does try, a girl doesn't stand a chance.

I was fairly certain that he was secretly nervous about going back and what it would mean for us. Not that I would blame him. I was nervous too. It was easy to be blissed out here in paradise. We'd spent days doing nothing more than lounging on the beach, making love on every surface in and around the house, eating delicious food, and getting to know each other better. Now we needed to return to the outside world, to stress, and to other people. It would be an adjustment and I really hoped we'd be strong enough to handle the change because I had fallen head over heels, deeply and madly in love with this man and there was no turning back now. It would crush me if we fell apart after returning to the real world.

"I know you're awake," he said, dropping a kiss on the crown of my head.

"mmmm," I answered, evasively.

"We can come back you know," he said, rubbing his hand gently up and down my bare arm. It seemed lately like he could read my mind sometimes. "We can come back anytime you want. I know you need to go back and finish your program. I do realize that. I just really want to keep you here, to keep this moment going, but I know that I can't."

I tilted my head back so I could see his face. He looked concerned and scared. "I do wish we could stay, but I think I'm just afraid that things won't be easy for us when we go back."

His brow furrowed, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I work. A lot." I said. "I want to make time for you, but sometimes I spend so much time in the lab that Rose calls me just to see if I'm resting and eating because she hasn't seen me in days. And I live with her. What if you get tired of me, or annoyed that I'm not around enough? I want to be with you, I need to see you, so much, but I have to finish what I started and I can't lose my place or my fellowship."

"I know baby," he said kissing me softly. "I know how important your work is for you. I never want you to feel like I would make you choose me over your studies. Ever. Part of what I love about you is your drive, your passion for what you do. I wouldn't change that for anything."

My breath came in as a quiet gasp. Did he realize what he'd just said? From the look on his face, I don't think he realized he'd said it was part of what he 'loved about' me, but maybe I was reading too much into his words. I really wanted him to mean more by them. I didn't realize how long I'd been staring at him until he reached down with his thumb and extracted my lower lip from my teeth.

"What's going on in that beautiful head of yours? You've been looking at me with wide eyes for a couple of minutes now, like you want to ask me something?"

I shook my head slightly and said, "No, it's nothing. Sorry."

He wasn't having that though. "You can ask me anything, Love. I want to know what's going through your mind," he said sincerely.

Love. He kept calling me that.

I drew in a deep breath and steeled myself for his response. "I just…" but I'd never said these words before and I wasn't sure how I'd deal with the hurt and awkwardness of him not reciprocating.

"What is it, Love?" his voice was filled with concern. "You can tell me anything."

"Um, I just," I started again, "wow this is so much harder than I thought it would be." I watched as he paled at my words and I realized that I was scaring him. That realization fueled me to be brave. "I wanted to tell you that…I…love you."

He stared at me with a blank expression and I immediately regretted my confession. Of course it was too soon. We'd only know each other a few weeks.

I started to push myself up off of his chest, but he pulled me back down immediately before cupping my face in his hands and laying a searing kiss on my lips. His lips moved against mine with a bruising pressure. I felt how much he was trying to convey in his kiss. Maybe he wasn't ready to say the words back to me, but he felt something close to what I felt and that was more than enough for me.

As suddenly as the kiss had started, he pulled back and his eyes burned with emotion.

"I love you too, Bella, so, so much."

An overwhelming feeling of elation coursed through me as his words sunk in. He loved me too! My lips crashed against his and he yelped in surprise. Before long we were tangled in the sheets, our limbs entwined, our hands moving over each other as if with desperate need to claim one another. I couldn't get enough of the feel of his heated skin against my own. Edward turned me onto my back, quickly settling himself between my thighs.

"Oh God…" I gasped out at the feel of his hardness pressing hot against my core.

"Fuck baby, I need to be inside you. I need to show you…" he groaned as the head of his cock slid inside me a bit.

"Yessss!" I hissed and he slid fully into me in one swift movement. I would never get used to this feeling of fullness, of how complete I felt when he was inside me. He moved in long, slow strokes, taking his time, but every thrust of his hips had a force behind it that left me breathless. I was reduced to gasps and whimpers as we continued to move together. My head fell back on the bed and my eyes began to roll shut as our movements began to overwhelm me.

"No baby. Open your eyes," he whispered. "I want to see your eyes, Bella." There was a command in his voice that I'd only heard hints of before and it was fucking sexy. My eyes sprang open and I was captured in his intense gaze. He seemed to lose some of his control at whatever he found in my eyes. His hips met mine in harder, faster thrusts as his eyes continued to hold mine.

"God baby, I'm….fuuuuckk!" I cried as I felt my climax nearing. I'd never felt anything as intense in my life, not physically or emotionally.

"Yes!" he groaned out. "Come with me, Bella. Fuck I love you!"

My hands gripped his shoulders tightly, my whole body clinging to his as waves of pleasure flowed through me. I could feel him pulsing and releasing deep within me as he held my body to his as desperately as I clung to him. My eyes finally fell shut as the aftershocks of my orgasm rippled through me. Edward nuzzled his face into my neck, still holding me tightly. I could feel his heart pounding where our chests connected, answering my own heart, franticly beating within me.

I'm not sure how long we laid there, unwilling to lose even a fraction of our connection, but eventually he pulled me out of bed and led me to the shower. We took our time washing each other, savoring the intimate, loving touches we shared. Something in Edward's eyes had changed. There was a brightness there that I'd seen glimpses of before when he'd cast tender looks my way, but it was radiant now.

As I watched him dry off with a plush white towel, an idea occurred to me. "So, I was thinking…" I began, breaking the tranquil quiet we'd been in since we'd made love.

He looked over at me with a smirk, but waited for me to continue.

"In honor of our last full day of complete and utter privacy," I said as I watched his face fall slightly. "I think we should have a naked day."

A short laugh burst from him. "A naked day?" he asked.

"Yes." I answered with a firm nod. "It only makes sense. Starting tomorrow, we'll be back to fully clothed all of the time. Not only that, but we're going back to New England weather in January." I shuddered at the thought. "Let's enjoy our last day in paradise sans clothing."

He slung the towel over his shoulder and stalked over to me. Pulling me by the hips, he held my body to his. Without a word he tugged at the towel around me, untucking it from between my breasts. It fell from my chest and he stepped away from me slightly, letting it fall the rest of the way to the tile floor. I reached over and brushed the towel off of where it rested on his shoulder, leaving us both naked. He leaned in for a kiss, but my stomach rumbled at an embarrassingly loud volume causing us both to laugh.

"I guess it's breakfast time," I said against his lips.

"I guess so." He kissed me once for good measure before dragging me out toward the kitchen.

The day passed in a blur of lovemaking, swimming and lazing about. Sometime around seven, after we'd finished off most of the food and wine in the house we started the arduous task of packing. At least it was naked packing. I laid out my clothes for the morning. We were leaving at sunrise and after days of sleeping in I knew it was going to suck waking in the dark tomorrow morning. As I was zipping up the last of my bags, I felt strong arms circling my waist.

"We're going to be fine. Stop worrying so much." He said against my neck where he was leaving soft kisses.

"How do you do that?" I asked.

"Do what?" he mumbled against my skin, his warm breath sending small shivers down my spine.

"Always know what I'm thinking." I answered, leaning into his embrace. I loved the way his firm chest felt against me, the way he made me feel so safe as if he'd shield me from anything.

"I don't know, it's getting easier for me. I think we're just really in tune with each other," he said. "You do it too, you know."

I turned slightly in his arms so that I could see his face. "I do?" I asked.

"Yeah, like last night when I was starting to get all grumpy, you knew I was anxious about leaving. You reassured me with your words" he said turning me in his arms so that I was facing him fully, "and with your touch." His rough hands skimmed lightly up my body, from my waist coming to a rest at the sides of my breasts. Edward's thumbs brushed in gently strokes over the underside of my breasts causing me to shiver. He kissed me slowly, softly caressing my lips with his.

Leaning his forehead against my own, he looked at me seriously. "We're going to be fine Bella," he said softly, but firmly. "I know I have some shit to sort out. I need to learn to be around people again, maybe start working again." He sighed deeply and I could tell how intimidated he was at the prospect of throwing himself back into the world. "But god, baby," a small smile played at his lips, "knowing that you love me, having that….I feel like I can do anything. I know it sounds cheesy, but it's true. I feel like we can handle anything as long as we can do it together."

Jesus, this man. What did I do to deserve this man? I couldn't think of anything adequate to say in response to that so I did the only logical thing, I kissed him hard and dragged him down to the bed with me.

 **EPOV**

I didn't know how to do this. It was ridiculous, but panic was starting to race through my body at the idea of leaving Bella.

"I hate this," she said, echoing my thoughts.

"I know. I don't want to go," I said. We stood outside the door to her apartment. She lived in a duplex in a nice neighborhood outside of Central Square.

"You could come up…" she offered, knowing I couldn't accept.

"If I come up, I'll never be able to leave." I said honestly. I brushed the hair from her face. "God you're beautiful." I whispered before stealing yet another slow, lingering kiss. I needed the taste of her on my tongue for as long as possible. My phone vibrated in my pocket. Again.

"You have to go. Alice is waiting." She sounded sad, but resigned.

"I'll call you in the morning. We can spend the day together." We'd already worked this out, but I was stalling.

"I know," she said, stepping back toward her slightly open door. "I love you."

Warmth flooded my chest. I would never get tired of hearing her say that.

"I love you." I darted in for one more kiss and backed away from her so I wouldn't be tempted to stay longer. We'd been trying to say goodbye for half an hour now. It was fucking pathetic on my part really. I knew she was tired from our long trip, but I couldn't seem to let her go. She turned to go in, pulling her bags behind her. With a small smile over her shoulder she closed the door behind her. I stood for a moment on her small porch, just staring at the door, willing myself not to knock and take her up on her offer for me to stay the night. I felt my phone buzzing against my leg again. It helped me remember my promise to Ali.

I hopped back in my rental car and drove across town to the house on Ash St. I pulled up ten minutes later to the large, yellow home. The front garden was immaculately landscaped. It looked like a garden from an old English estate, full of topiaries, elegant stonework and sculptures. It was exactly how I remembered it, though it had been more than a decade since I'd been here. My father had done a couple of semesters as a visiting professor at Harvard and Esme had spent the year updating the home and surrounding garden. Alice had obviously been keeping it up to our mother's standards.

Before I even made it to the front steps my sister had the door thrown open and was glaring down at me from the brightly lit doorway. The warm light streamed out around her like a golden halo, spilling out on the brick steps. I had forgotten how beautiful my sister was. She looked the same, but older somehow, more polished and adult than she had when I'd last seen her.

"Where have you been?" she demanded. "Your flight landed nearly two hours ago. It doesn't take that long to get here from Logan!" I'd forgotten how loud she was. She rivalled Emmett in volume, must be genetic; somehow it had skipped me.

"I got here as soon as I could, Ali. I had to clear customs, rent the car, and drop Bella by her place first." Her brow arched dramatically in suspicion.

"Ok, well…come here and give me a hug." She said reaching out her arms. "It's been too long, Edward."

Guilt rippled through me. It took Bella waking me up to realize that I'd fucked up royally with my siblings. I should have been there for them these last several years. I wrapped Ali in a firm hug. She was even smaller than Bella. Sometimes it was hard to believe she was related to me or Emmett. If we didn't have the same pale complexions and piercing green eyes, I don't think anyone would believe it.

"I'm so sorry Ali." I whispered. "I shouldn't have left you alone."

I felt her tremble slightly at my words. I tried to pull away, but she tightened her grip on me. She was strong for such a tiny little thing.

Finally she let go. Stepping back and ushering me in the door she said, "You're here now. I'm so happy that you're here."

I could only nod in response. Her wet lashes made my heart ache. I was only beginning to understand the pain I'd caused her by hiding away from my grief. I'd abandoned her and Emmett and all I could do was try to be here now and try to make up for my mistakes.

She led me into the family room. It was more comfortably furnished than most of the other rooms, which were laden with antique pieces that suited the house. It was a historical home and was featured occasionally on tours when the family wasn't living here.

"Are you hungry?" she asked as we settled on the chairs near the large fireplace.

"No. I'm okay. We ate on the plane." I responded. "How are you Ali? You look great, so grown up."

She smiled at me. "Thanks. I'm good, really. I've been keeping busy with school and my designs. I think I'll be ready to jump right in to production as soon as my degree is complete." Ali was working on an MBA. She'd studied fashion design and worked in fashion long enough to know that she hated working for other people. Since she had the resources, she decided to start her own line. I suggested taking some business courses, but Ali never liked to do anything halfway so she applied to MBA programs.

"I'm so proud of you." I said. "I can't wait to see you graduate in May."

We talked for about an hour, catching up on things, before I started to yawn.

"Oh god, you must be exhausted!" Ali exclaimed before getting up and heading toward the stairs. "It's already quarter to one. I'll show you upstairs. I did have the rooms cleaned and the linens changed, but I haven't had it in me to go through anything up there. I'm sorry. If you'd rather stay in one of the guest rooms you can. I just thought you might like to have your own space and it's like a little apartment up there. But it's-"

"Ali!" I interrupted her. "It's fine. I'll be fine. I promise."

"Okay," she said hesitantly. "If you're sure." We were at the top of the landing, at the base of the stairs to the third floor. She looked up them with trepidation, as if ghosts were going to descend at any moment.

"I'm sure." I said calmly. I hated that she was so worried. I had to face things. No more hiding. "Goodnight Alice. Thank you again. For everything."

"You're welcome, big brother. I'm so glad you're here." With that she bounded down the hall toward her room.

I climbed the dimly lit staircase. The steps creaked and groaned from age and lack of use. As the steps turned in an elegant curve, I saw the upper rooms come into view. The small sitting room was decorated in soft greens, creams and pinks. It was so very Esme. Less formal than the downstairs rooms, this floor was an eclectic mix of antiques and contemporary pieces. I sighed looking around. It was going to be a long road ahead. I could feel the ache of loss afresh. I would be forever indebted to Bella for waking me out of my figurative hibernation, but the result was painful. I could feel the guilt and grief more acutely than ever. It was only bearable because it was tempered by the intensity of my feelings for Bella.

I made my way through the rooms, feeling the weight of my parent's absence more fully as I progressed. The dark walls of the music room comforted me the instant I entered the room. Wood and leather covered nearly every surface, giving it a masculine feel that was simultaneously heavy and reassuring. I pushed down the urge I had to call Bella and instead sat down at the piano. I didn't want to smother her. She had her friends and her work. We'd spent the last couple of weeks alone and as much as I wanted to keep that going, I knew it wouldn't be healthy for me to depend solely on her as a source of contentment. I needed to learn how to find that when I was away from her or we'd never survive.

I passed my fingers lightly over the keys to get a sense of what I was working with. Finding the instrument in tune was a pleasant surprise. I'd have to thank my sister again in the morning. She always thought of everything.

 **BPOV**

I was avoiding going to bed, filling my time with unpacking and reorganizing my room. Rose and Jasper were still away, so the apartment was painfully quiet. And I missed Edward already. It had only been a couple of hours, but already I felt like part of me was achingly hollow. My only consolation was that I had a giant pile of work to distract myself with. I had desperately wanted Edward to stay the night, just to ease us back into real life, but he really needed to see his sister. I could see how much guilt he carried for not being more supportive to his siblings when they lost their mother. He'd said that he was having trouble forgiving himself for being absent when they needed him. I could understand his guilt, but it seemed severe to me that he blamed himself so fully. He was suffering and grieving also.

I worked analyzing the pages of data that I'd found in my inbox when I'd returned to my high speed internet connection. You don't realize how spoiled you are until you have to live with super slow satellite internet. Since I had the place to myself, I spread out at the dining room table. As I frequently do when I'm working, I lost all sense of time. As the pale, morning light began spilling through the front windows I realized that I'd gotten completely carried away, yet again. Stretching my back, I got up, leaving the mess on the table to deal with later. I set my alarm for three hours from now and climbed under my cold sheets. I missed the warm arms that I'd become accustomed to sleeping within.

The shrill scream of an ambulance passing down the street below shocked me from my sleep. My mind was confused for a moment. Expecting to wake up on the island, my tiny, cluttered bedroom was an unexpected sight. I fumbled for my phone on the nightstand only to come up emptyhanded. I felt around and realized it had worked its way somehow under my pillow.

"Shit!" I exclaimed as I noticed the time and the litany of massages waiting for me. It was after two in the afternoon and Edward was clearly worried. He'd left me a ton of messages. I dialed his number quickly. He answered on the first ring.

"Bella! Are you okay?" he sounded so concerned.

"Yes." My voice croaked out in the most unattractive way. "I'm so sorry. I was up really late and slept through my alarm."

He sighed in relief. "It's okay. I just got really worried when you didn't answer my calls. I stopped by a while ago and rang the bell, but you didn't answer. I thought maybe something happened to you. I was ready to call the police, but Alice talked me down and told me to give you some time."

"Fuck, I'm so sorry. I don't usually sleep through my alarm. I think I turned it off in my sleep. I found my phone under my pillow."

He chuckled at that. "Well, we haven't had much need for alarms lately. You're body's just rejecting the idea."

"Do you want to get something to eat? A late lunch I guess." I asked.

"Sure baby." He sounded so much calmer now. "Do you mind if Ali joins us? She's dying to meet you. I actually think she might spontaneously combust if she has to wait much longer."

"That sounds great. Do you want to meet me at that café I mentioned on Broadway? I can text you the address."

"Sounds good. How much time do you need?" he asked.

"Half an hour? I showered last night, so I just need to get myself presentable." I answered.

"Okay, sounds good. See you soon baby."

By the time I got to the café I could see Edward waiting outside with a tiny, hyper looking woman who could only be Alice. I chuckled quietly to myself at the sight as I made my way down the block toward them. She was literally bouncing with anticipation and she looked like some sort of sophisticated pixie. Her short black hair was cut in a cute, spiky, asymmetrical bob that reminded me of an anime character and she was wearing a sleek, black trench coat over dark skinny jeans.

Edward broke away from her to scoop me up in a giant hug, lifting me off the ground.

"I'm sorry I made you worry." I said quietly, kissing his cheek.

"It's okay. I understand. Alice says I'm a worrier and that you'll get used to me." I felt him inhale deeply, his face buried in my hair. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." He was just leaning in for a proper kiss when we heard a throat clearing behind us.

He put me down and turned his body to reveal his sister. She had Edward's eyes exactly. It was kind of eerie to see them on such a different face.

"Hi, I'm Alice! It's so good to meet you!" Before I could answer I was pulled into a tight hug. Damn she was strong! I would have never guessed.

"Hi Alice! I'm Bella." I said as she nearly squeezed the life out of me. "It's so good to meet you. Thank you so much for everything. The trip was amazing."

She leaned away from me, but kept her hands on my shoulders. She stared at me for a moment with an approving expression on her face.

"God you're just as beautiful as he said! I'm so happy for you guys!" She started dragging me toward the door. "I love this place. Do you live in the neighborhood? I live closer to Harvard, but it's not a bad walk. I have to drive to my classes though, which is kind of a pain, because the business school is across the river, but I can walk pretty much everywhere else. Well, I guess I could walk, but I'm always running late and it's so cold here all the time and—"

"Ali! Breath!" Edward interrupted as he opened the door for us. She stopped speaking immediately. The warmth of the room was most welcome after the crisp January air outside. I hadn't really adjusted to the cold temperatures here yet after our time on the island.

"Sorry." She said in a small voice. I hated the expression that settled on her face. She looked embarrassed and like she was working with all her might to suppress her energy.

"It's okay Ali." I said gently. "I'm excited to meet you too." Her eyes softened and I could tell she had needed to hear that.

"Thank you. I just knew we would be the best of friends!" She chirped, hooking her arm around mine at the elbow as we took our place in line.

We ordered sandwiches, which Edward insisted on paying for and found a little table in the back. I sipped my cappuccino as we waited for our food, Ali speaking rapidly and with great passion. She was telling me about her business goals and I could genuinely say that I liked her. She was driven, enthusiastic, straight-forward and I had a feeling her exuberance wasn't always well received by new acquaintances. She seemed really sweet and eager to get to know me.

"Edward says you've lived here for a few years now. How do you like the east coast?" she asked. We'd just gotten our food and I was ravenous after sleeping most of the day away.

"I love it actually. I kind of hate the cold, but I love the culture and the people. There's so much to do here and so many people are passionately focused on their work. It's an exciting place to be. M.I.T is wonderful, but I've also really loved meeting so many different sorts of people here, artists, musicians, theologians, scientists. It's so diverse, don't you find?"

"It is! I love that about this area. It's a bit transient though. People come, they study, they move on. But it's an exciting place to be." She responded. Edward was sitting back, watching us as he ate. He had a small smile on his lips, looking more than pleased that Alice and I were hitting it off.

"So where is Emmett?" I asked. "Edward said you spent Christmas together. Is he in the area still? I'd love to meet him too."

She snorted, "Uh, no you wouldn't. Emmett's an ass. He's all about partying and getting as much pussy as he can these days."

"Alice!" Edward nearly shouted sounding shocked.

"What? It's true," she defended. "He's tried to fuck every single one of my female friends that he's met over the last several years. When he's successful he leaves them feeling used and insecure. I've lost more than one friend to that man-whore. He's my brother and I love him, but he needs to grow the hell up or he's going to end up a creepy old dude still out hunting for one night stands with gold-diggers. Uck!"

I looked over at Edward. He looked sort of defeated.

"I hate that I've let this happen, that I let him turn into this clichéd trust fund brat," he said sadly. "I should have been here. He needed a role model and I was totally checked out."

"Stop beating yourself up," I said, squeezing his hand. "You can't change the past and drowning yourself in guilt isn't gonna help anything. All you can do is move forward." He nodded sadly.

"Emmett's always been this way, even at boarding school he was a player, not to this degree, but he may just have been destined to be this way." Alice shrugged sadly.

"What about you Ali? Are you still dating that guy, what's his name, the French one?" Edward asked.

"Laurent? No, we broke up ages ago. I told you that." She said rolling her eyes at him. "I was dating this new guy Jimmy, but he turned out to be a nutcase. He was super into this pyramid scheme and he wanted me to buy a whole bunch of some quacky supplements from him. Totally cray! So we split up. He was fun for a while though. So I'm single again."

"Laurent, was he the architect?" Edward asked.

"No he was the performance artist. Alec was the architect," Alice answered sipping her latte.

"Oh, right Alec. Who was the chef?"

"Jesus, you're making me sound like a slut. The chef was Demetri. He was Russian and he moved back there when his visa expired. I'm pretty sure he was hoping I'd offer to marry him so he could get a green card," she said. Turning to me she half whispered conspiratorially, "But the sex wasn't all that great. No way am I marrying a man unless the sex is Ah-maaazing!" She giggled and I couldn't help but join her.

"Alice. I really don't want to hear about your sex life!" Edward complained.

"Then stop bringing it up. You're the one asking about every guy I've ever dated. Jeez!" She threw up her hands and sank back in her seat looking irritated.

I couldn't help but laugh at their interaction. "You guys are hilarious." I said. They were looking at me like I was nuts. "What? I never had any siblings, well not while I was growing up anyway. All your bickering is cute." I shrugged.

A tender look crossed Edward's face and he pulled me against him in on the bench we were sharing. Our food was gone and I was savoring a second cup of coffee goodness.

"What are you doing tonight?" Alice asked. "Do you want to come back to our place and watch some movies or something?"

I pulled out my phone to check the time. It was nearly five already. "I would really love to, but Rose and Jasper are getting back soon and I promised her she could interrogate me tonight. She'd never let me hear the end of it if I disappeared."

"Who are Rose and Jasper?" she asked excitedly.

"My roommates." I answered. I snuggled into Edward's side as we talked. Despite my massive caffeine intake this afternoon, I was feeling a bit sleepy. His fingers gently massaging my scalp weren't helping either. "They've been visiting family in London and then home in Texas. So it's been weeks since we were all together."

"Oh. So are they married?" she asked.

"Nope. Siblings." My answers were getting more efficient as I got more comfortable.

"Hmm. Well I can't wait to meet them. Maybe we could all get together before school picks up again," she mused. I think I started to doze off against Edward's side. I could hear their hushed conversation, but I wasn't paying attention anymore.

"Baby." I heard softy in my ear. "Baby you've got to wake up. It's getting late."

I opened my eyes to find the café bustling with activity. It seemed just moments ago that it had been nearly empty in the late afternoon lull. I looked around confused.

"Where's Alice," I asked.

"She left about twenty minutes ago. I was gonna wake you, but you seemed so sleepy I figured I'd give you a few more minutes," he explained.

"Well that's embarrassing. I didn't realize I was so tired." I said. "You wore me out with all of your traveling and sexing!"

He just smirked at me before claiming my lips in an eager kiss. "It's been way to long since I kissed those gorgeous lips of yours." He said as he pulled away from me. "I'd suggest we keep doing that, but I think your roommates are due home soon. I know you wanted to meet up with them tonight."

"Why was that again?" I asked, staring at his lips longingly.

He chuckled. "You said that if you didn't show up Rose would, and I quote, 'hunt your down and torment you for the next six months with ruthless pranks.' How bad can her pranks be anyhow?"

"You're kidding me right." I asked. "She a fucking evil genius. When she was slightly pissed last summer she replaced Jasper's shampoo with green hair dye. Or when I blew her off one too many times last semester she stole all of my underwear, and I mean all of it, and replaced it with gigantic pink granny panties."

He burst out laughing at that. "Okay, that does sound annoying."

"No, that's nothing." I explained. "Last year, Jasper fucked up and let it slip to their parents that Rose isn't moving back to Texas this spring when she graduates. They weren't too happy about that. Anyhow, Rose punished him for months. She had embarrassing packages sent to his work, she kept hacking his phone and redirecting the contacts to connect with his ex-girlfriends. And my personal favorite was when she used the sunroof of his car to fill his car to the brim with sawdust. Jasper loves his car, like way, way too much. He fucking cried when he saw it. The scale of the prank war is directly proportional to how pissed she is at you. SO it's best to not piss her off."

"Wow. I will stay out of her way," he said, sounding slightly scared. But Rose had that effect on people.

"She's a good person with a good heart. I promise. Just try not to piss her off." I shrugged. I knew Rose's brand of conflict management wasn't for everyone. She mostly directed it at Jasper and he usually deserved it.

"Noted." He said. "I'll drop you home."

I got up from my comfy spot, reluctant to face the inquisition waiting for me at home. As we walked to Edward's car, I tried not to dread the coming conversation. Rose would come to like Edward…eventually. I just needed to help her to see how utterly and completely happy he made me. And not piss her off in the process because I really hated that time when she filled my room with tiny paper cups full of red Kool Aid while I slept.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hey there lovelies! We've been snowed in here in the northeast so I'm posting a couple of hours earlier than I typically do. Thank you so much for all of your kind reviews! I'm so excited that so many of you are enjoying this story that's been swirling around in my head for a while now.**

 **I'm trying to get another chapter up later in the week as a little snow day bonus. All this time indoors should be used for something productive, besides laundry, cause that's boring ; ) Look forward to that on Tuesday or Wed.**

 **Obvs.: SM owns twilight, I just enjoy playing in this here sandbox.**

 **BPOV**

"Finally!" I heard Rose cry as I mounted the stairs leading to our living room.

"It's good to see you too, Rose." I said with a smirk. She just rolled her eyes at me before pulling me into a warm hug.

"I missed you chica!" she said with a sad edge to her voice.

"I missed you too," I replied. "What's wrong?" I asked, pulling away and heading toward our lumpy sofa.

"Oh, you know, drama with the 'rents. Nothing new," she shrugged, flopping down on the seat next to mine.

"Did something happen since we talked?"

She drew in a deep breath, the sadness clear in her eyes. "Well nothing of consequence, but it just hurts that they're not supportive, you know?" she said looking at me, her eyes narrowing slightly as she thought. "Yeah, you do know, don't you? Anyhow, they just threated to disinherit me if I didn't move back and marry someone 'suitable' after I graduate in May. It doesn't matter. I don't need or want their fucking money, but it still hurts that they still can't be proud of me."

"I'm sorry Rose. I know firsthand how much that kind of rejection stings," I said empathetically.

"I know you do Babe," she smiled sadly.

"I don't understand though. I thought they already cut you off when you decided to come here? Isn't that why Nana Hale started helping you out?" I asked. Rose's grandmother was a stern matriarch and most of her family lived in fear of her, but she adored and doted upon her granddaughter. She seemed to admire Rose's independent spirit. I had only met her a couple of times. She was an imposing, regal woman who made just about everyone feel inadequate; I thought she was fabulous.

"Well, they cut me off in the sense that they refused to support my 'vanity exercise' as they like to refer to my continued academic career," she chuckled. "It pissed daddy off somethin' fierce when Nana Hale gave me her full financial support so I could achieve my dream. Now they're threatening to leave all their money to Jasper when they die. Thing is, I never wanted any of their money. I can earn my own way in the world once I finish with school. So they can suck it for all I care!"

I giggled at her. Her face had become increasingly flushed as she spoke, a sure mark of her anger. Rose always jumped directly over sadness to anger whenever possible.

"Maybe you should execute a ruthless prank on mommy and daddy dearest," I suggested facetiously.

She gasped and stilled for a moment, not the reaction I was expecting. "I've never really considered that actually. I've always tried to keep the peace as much as possible, but that is an excellent idea!" I could see her wheels spinning as she began plotting against her unsuspecting parents.

"Ro, I was joking," I said. "It'll only make things worse."

She laughed bitterly at that. "Not possible," she said. "My father called me an embarrassment and my mother told me that if I couldn't choose someone 'respectable' on my own that she'd pick someone for me. In fact, she's already got the perfect candidate selected. He's rich, generically attractive and dumber than dirt. Oh and he works for daddy's company so that's a bonus."

"Jeez. Okay, plot away prankmaster general," I said dryly.

She rubbed her hands together cartoonishly. "I have so many ideas I don't know where to start! Don't tell Jasper though! That boy can't keep a secret to save his life."

I chucked. "No shit. He's got no filter though. I blame all the weed he used to smoke. He killed the part of his brain that controls his sharing impulse."

I expected her to giggle, but her face turned suddenly serious. "I'm not going to give you a hard time about your new man," she said solemnly.

My head was spinning a bit from the sudden change in topic. "Okaaay…" I wasn't really sure what to say.

"No really. You said he makes you happy. I thought a lot about what you said when I…well when I lost my shit about you guys going away. I'm sorry that I didn't trust your judgement, but I just worry. You're like the baby sister I never had. I will probably always be irrationally protective of you, but you love me just the same."

"I do," I agreed. "And I really do appreciate that you're looking out for me. I don't know where I'd be without you in my life. You are my sister, in every way that counts." I pulled her in for a hug. I may have gotten the shit end of the stick as far as family was concerned, but my friends were amazing.

"That doesn't mean I'm going easy on him though," she said sternly. "He's still got a lot to prove before he wins me over and don't even get me started on Jasper. We're the only real family you got, so Jasper and I get the honor of making sure he's worthy."

I rolled my eyes at her. I would have to warn Edward, but I was pretty sure he was already expecting Rose to be a tough one to win over.

"Where is your brother?" I asked.

"Rehearsing. They've got some big gig the day after tomorrow and he wants us to go. You could bring your new man," she suggested. "I'd like to meet him."

"That would mean a lot to me. Thank you Rose." I said. "Don't be too tough on him, okay? He's a good guy."

"We'll see," she said vaguely.

We stayed up late talking and I ended up stumbling to bed around two in the morning. I slept terribly, worse than the night before. I missed Edward's warm presence in bed with me. I didn't know if I'd ever sleep well without him now that I knew what it felt like to have him near me.

After tossing and turning for hours, falling in and out of a fitful sleep, I decided to just get up and start the day. I had a shower and a cup of coffee before checking my email where I found four frantic messages from Dr. Banner's assistant, Dr. Hunter. Apparently I'd be spending the day in the lab instead of with my sexy boyfriend. Awesome.

I shot off a quick text to Edward, letting him know I'd be tied up for most of the day and headed out. The morning light was still hazy and dim. I hated this time of year here; there were so few hours of full daylight. I hopped on my slim road bike and set off across the city through the early morning traffic. Even with the grey winter chill, I loved zipping past all the cars clogging up the busy streets.

 **EPOV**

I drummed my fingers on the desk impatiently. This day had been endless. I'd tried to fill it with all of the tedious stuff involved in moving. I'd gotten a car, arranged to have my mail redirected, contacted the family lawyers and financial advisors. There were just a few things left on my list, but I wanted to talk to Bella before I made some decisions. It was four thirty and I'd yet to hear back from Bella after texting her several times today. She'd warned me that she's unreliable once she's in the lab, but it still sucked. I was trying desperately not to crowd her, but it was getting increasingly difficult. It seemed like I couldn't sleep without her anymore, at least not well.

I reread the email I'd been editing for the last twenty minutes. I knew it was fine, but I was stalling. Hitting send was like opening a can of worms and I was apprehensive to say the least. I clenched my eyes shut and pressed enter, sending out the email to my manager. I was officially ready to work again. I'd been composing non-stop since I got here. It was the only way I'd been coping with my separation from Bella. Not that we were really separated, but after spending nearly every minute with her for the last few weeks the change was difficult to take.

I had expected to spend more time with Ali, but she had a busy life here. She had been in and out of the house; she was madly trying to get her business ready to launch this summer. She'd been organizing production and marketing like a pro. I was really proud of her.

My phone vibrated on the desk next to me. "Well that was fast." I mumbled to myself before answering.

"Hello, Vicki." I said nervously. "How have you been?"

"Edward! Is it really you?" she asked cheerfully.

"Yup. Same old me." I answered.

"Are you really working again? I'm so thrilled to hear it!" Her rich, deep voice was filled with excitement. "I have just the project for you. I'll send you the details and you can let me know what you think. But it's a pretty tight schedule, they go into post in two months. The composer that the director had chosen wasn't working out; he was a real diva. So they asked me to find someone who could handle the project. They want someone seasoned; you're perfect for this."

I heard my laptop chime with an incoming email and saw a new message from Vicki already waiting for me. The woman was nothing if not efficient.

"Okay. I'll look this over and get back to you soon," I said as I opened the short email, finding several attachments.

"Fantastic!" she said. "I'm so glad you're back, Edward. You're a rare talent and always so reliably professional. These new, young composers all think they're God's gift. You have no idea!"

I chuckled. I'd always had a good relationship with my manager. I'd heard some horror stories about people with bad representation. I was lucky she'd taken an interest in me after my first major film score put me on her radar. She was smart, shrewd and honest.

"Thanks Vicki. It's good to be back. I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

"Perfect. Ciao!" she said, hanging up before I could reply.

Trudging downstairs, I found Ali in her studio, which was a large, brightly lit room with several workstations and extensive shelving filled with bins of fabric. She was listening to some noise that she considered music. Unlike all of the new music Bella had introduced me to, Ali listened to some pop crap that I couldn't stomach. The heavy beat and auto-tune nonsense sounded so unlike music to me it just gave me a headache. She seemed to like it though. She flitted about the room, unaware of my presence in the doorway. She seemed to dance from table to table making notes on one, measuring or cutting on another. I just smiled and waited for her to notice me.

She turned and gasped slightly as she caught sight of me. "Oh, hi!" she chirped. "I didn't see you there. What's up?"

"Not much. Bella's working and I finished everything I needed to do today. So…" I shrugged as my voice trailed off.

"So…you're bored 'cause your hot girlfriend is off finding a cure for cancer?" she laughed.

I rubbed the back of my neck self-consciously. "Yeah, something like that." It was embarrassing to acknowledge how much I missed my girl.

"Well, I'm just waiting for a couple of my friends to get here. They're going to be models for my new marketing campaign. But after they leave we could grab some dinner if you'd like." She said.

"That sounds great, actually," I said, relieved that I'd have something to occupy my time. "I'll be upstairs working. Just let me know when you're ready to go."

"Okay. But you don't have to run off. Kate's one of the friends helping me out. I'm sure she'd love to say hi," she said hopefully.

I cringed a bit at the idea. As much as I was trying to get back into society, I wasn't sure that I was ready to meet with Tanya's sister just yet. She was always nice, but I wasn't eager for the inevitable awkwardness of that meeting.

"Uh…that's okay, Ali. I'll just head upstairs now."

Just then the doorbell rang and Alice leaped gracefully past me, apparently unaware of my discomfort. I hesitated for a moment; there was no way for me to get out of this hallway without passing the front entrance. Before I could make my escape, I heard voices headed in my direction.

"Oh Kate!" my sister squealed. "Come to my studio! You'll never believe who's here!"

I was just trying to figure out if there was any way to hide when Kate, Alice and a third woman I didn't recognize rounded the corner, coming into view. Kate's face lit up in what appeared to be surprise and happiness as her eyes landed on me.

"Edward!" she cried, running over and flinging herself at me, her arms wrapping me in a strong hug. "Oh my god! I can't believe it's you! How are you? How long have you been here? Are you back for good?"

I couldn't help but chuckle at her enthusiasm. I'd always liked Kate. Unlike her sister, she was laid back with an open, warm personality. She was a couple of years older than Alice, so she'd been a kid when I'd dated her sister. Now she was a tall willowy woman with dark blond hair.

"How are you Kate?" I asked, returning her hug. "It's good to see you too."

She pulled back and looked me over.

"You look great Edward. Ali said you've been living out near Seattle somewhere," she inquired.

"Thanks. Yeah, well it's a bit of a drive from Seattle, about a three hour trek," I answered. "What about you? What are you up to these days?"

"Oh, I'm living in Boston and working in educational publishing. It's okay," she shrugged. "Not my dream job, but positions working in fiction are hard to come by these days and I do get to edit, so that's good."

"That's great, Kate," I said. "You're just starting out. Give it time, you may find yourself where you want to be sooner than you expect."

"Thanks," she said, still eyeing me curiously.

"Well, I was just headed up to do some work. I'll let you guys get to it," I said, backing down the hall. I was glad I'd seen Kate, but this was about as much social interaction as I could handle for the moment.

"See you around," Kate said and I waved awkwardly as I darted down the hall.

I scrubbed my hand over my face as soon as I was out of sight. Kate now looked so much like Tanya, it was unsettling. They couldn't be more different as people, but the physical resemblance was striking. I bounded up the stairs to put more distance between us. I really did want to get some work done. I had the notes from Vicki waiting for me so I could occupy my mind until Bella was finished with work.

After watching the rough clips of the film Vicki had sent and reading the script I had a better sense of what the director was looking for. I was playing around with ideas on the piano, trying to get a feel for the tone I wanted to achieve. My phone vibrated loudly on the table nearby and I snatched it up immediately.

"Hi baby!" I tried to temper my enthusiasm, but I think I failed miserably.

"Hi. I'm sorry I've been M.I.A. all day. I really had hoped to spend the day with you," she said quietly. She sounded exhausted.

"Are you okay baby?" I asked. "You sound worn out."

She sighed deeply. "Yeah, just tired. This day was interminable. Dr. Hunter messed up all of this data and I had to sort through it because he was having a minor panic attack. Turns out he's useless in a crisis. But it's all fixed now."

"Are you still at the lab?" I asked.

"No, I just got home." I could hear fabric rustling and she sighed again. I was guessing that she was lying on her bed. I wanted to be there with her, so badly. "I don't think I can keep doing this…" her voice trailed off disconcertingly.

"Wh..what do you mean? What can't you keep doing, baby?" I asked, suddenly terrified.

"I can't go so long without seeing you. I can't sleep without you. It's excruciating. I know it sounds desperate and lame, but I miss you so fucking much it hurts…." I could hear the pain in her voice. I'd been trying to give her space, trying not to smother her, but she'd missed me just as much as I'd been missing her. I felt like an idiot.

"Baby, I don't want to be away from your either. I hate it too," I tried to reassure her. "Can I come there now? Can I stay the night? Or I can pick you up and bring you here. Ali would love to see you."

She giggled, but the sound was a bit off like she was crying too. "I'd love to come there. No one's here now, but Jasper's got his band coming by later after rehearsal so I doubt we'd get any privacy here. I can bike over though; you don't have to pick me up."

"No, I'll pick you up. You shouldn't be biking so late. It's dark, baby."

She laughed at me, this time her laughter was unmarred by sadness. "I bike all over the city at night babe. It's how I get places. I'll be fine."

"I'd like to pick you up, just the same," I pleaded. I hated the idea of her putting herself at unnecessary risk.

"Okay," she said. "What time?"

"Half an hour?" I asked.

"I'll be ready," she said softy. She really did sound exhausted and as much as I wanted to make love to her tonight, I'd be happy just to sleep with her in my arms.

I knocked on Bella's door twenty-five minutes later, unable to wait any longer. She flung the door open immediately. Without a word I stepped into her doorway and pushed her back against the wall, kicking the door closed behind me. I couldn't hold back the passionate kiss that I laid on her lips. My tongue was caressing hers, relearning the taste and feel of her hot mouth. God how I'd missed her sweet lips.

I couldn't seem to control myself as my hands began exploring her soft curves. She didn't seem to mind; her body moved against mine with equal desperation. I lifted her up and she quickly wrapped her legs around me as I took hold of her supple ass. I would never get over how fucking perfect she was. My body seemed to be working on instinct alone as I ground my hips against hers. The friction and heat from her core were driving me insane.

I had to pull away for a breath, or one of us was likely to pass out. "Baby, never again can I go this long without touching you, kissing you, loving you," I said as I continued to lay hot, wet kisses on her neck and shoulder.

"No. Never again," she gasped. "Baby, I need you, right fucking now."

"What about your roommates?" I asked without conviction as my hand slid under her bra and I began rolling her nipple between my fingers.

She moaned loudly. "They're out. They won't be back until later," she said. She removed one of her hands from my shoulder and leaned over to slide a lock over on the door. "There. We'll have a little warning now," she said, her voice was all breathy and needy.

I didn't need any more convincing. I started unbuttoning her jeans as she worked on the removing her shirt. She hopped down from where I held her and shimmied out of her pants as I tried to catch up with her. When we were both naked in her front hallway, I lifted her again by her bare thighs and pressed her back against the wall.

"Shit! Baby I need you so badly," I groaned as I stroked her folds gently. "God you're so wet for me already. This isn't going to be slow or sweet, baby I'm fucking desperate to be inside you."

"Please Edward! Now!" she cried. She didn't have to ask me twice. I lined myself up and slammed into her with one swift, hard thrust.

The gasp that came from her lips had me momentarily worried that I'd been too rough, but the look in her eyes as she gripped my cock with her hot pussy was enough to dispel my fears. I pulled out and thrust into her again with equal force. We quickly established an intense rhythm. I'd never understood the appeal of 'pounding' into someone as I'd heard people talk about. But in that moment we both needed this; we needed the forceful, primal intensity of fucking hard against a cold foyer wall.

"God baby! Yes!" she cried as my hips continued to drive into hers. "Don't stop!" I could feel her walls beginning to contract around me. Thank god, 'cause I wasn't gonna last much longer.

"Fuck baby! I can't…I have to…Fuuuuucccckkk!" I cried as my orgasm took me over. I felt her tightening around me as I came deep within her. She moaned and rocked against me as she rode the waves of her own climax.

We were both panting, sweaty messes. I carefully lowered us to the ground where I sat on my jeans as she straddled my lap, my cock softening inside her. I pushed the damp hair from her forehead and kissed her slowly.

"I love you so much baby," I whispered. "We'll find a balance somehow. I was trying so hard to give you space and not make you feel like you had to spend all of your time with me. I should have probably admitted that I want you with me every minute you're willing to give."

She stroked her fingers along my jaw, scratching soothingly at the scruff she found there. "I should have said something too. I was trying to give you time with your sister. It's been so long since you've seen her. I know you need space to reconnect."

I chuckled at that. "I see plenty of Ali, but she has her own stuff going on. Tonight we were supposed to have dinner, but she canceled on me so she could meet with a photographer about her marketing stuff. She's just happy to have me around, I think."

"I get that." We sat there for a moment longer before she said. "We probably should get dressed. You never know when someone will arrive unexpectedly. I wasn't thinking very clearly earlier…you clouded my judgment with lust."

I laughed at her, but heeded her advice. We'd just finished getting our clothes straightened out when we heard someone stomping up the front steps. With a wide-eyed mischievous smirk, Bella reached over and unlatched the top lock on the door. We heard keys scraping at the lock before the door swung open revealing a tall, handsome blond man in torn jeans, a well-loved leather jacket and a pair of expensive looking cowboy boots. I assumed this was Jasper.

"Hey there darlin'" he drawled, his eyes narrowing as they passed over us.

"Hey Jay. Done with rehearsal already?" she asked.

"Uh…yeah. Liam kept fuckin' up so we decided to call it an early night. He's just hung over though. We're set for the gig…you comin'?" His eyes never left mine as he spoke. He had a steely glare and it was directed toward me.

"Yeah. I'll be there. Jasper, this is Edward, my boyfriend." She said sweetly.

"Nice to meet you Edward," he said with a heavy twang in his voice. He reached over slowly to shake my hand. His grip tightened as he silently challenged me in the age old custom of older brothers. Bella had made it clear that Jasper and Rose were her siblings in everything but blood. So I knew that was the role he was taking on now. " _Boy_ friend, eh? A little old for that moniker don't you think?"

I couldn't help but chuckle at that. I think he was trying to piss me off, but he was right. I was _way_ old to be called a boy. "Yeah, but it'll have to do for now," I said cryptically.

His brow furrowed at that. I could see that he was about to question my last statement when Bella suddenly interrupted, "Okay then. We have to be going." She shouldered her bag and pushed past Jasper, pulling me by the hand along with her.

"Bye Jasper. It was good to meet you," I called over my shoulder. I saw him step through the doorway into the house and a scowl formed on his face.

"Why the fuck does it smell like sex in here, Bella?" he shouted after us. "I'm so telling Rose that you desecrated the doorway to our home!"

We hopped in the car, both of us laughing at Jasper's outburst. I knew I should feel embarrassed or something like that, but I was too crazy happy for that kind of shit. So instead we laughed as we sped away from her building.

"Is this a new car or a new rental?" she asked after we'd quieted down.

"A new car," I answered. She looked around the front of the car, pulling open compartments and examining the stereo. I smiled, liking how comfortable she was in my space, with my things.

"It's nice. So you _reeaally_ like Volvos, then. It wasn't a one time purchase?" she asked as she continued to scroll through the stereo options.

"Uh…yeah. I guess I'm just comfortable with them. They're good cars," I said sheepishly. "Ali makes fun of me for it. She calls it an old man car…"

She started giggling in the seat next to me. "I like your sister," was all she said. I watched as she pulled out her phone and swiped her finger across it a few times. Suddenly a song that I recognized from the player she'd given me filled the car. The twangy guitar filled the car before it was joined by the weary sound of Kurt Vile's voice.

"I like this one. You put it on my playlist," I said.

"I know! His lyrics are great." She said before she started singing along, "…Then Saturday came around and I said 'Who's this stupid clown blocking the bathroom sink?' But he was sporting all my clothes. I gotta say I'm pretty pimpin." Her singing voice was raspy and low and nothing like I would have guessed. It was dead sexy and I was having trouble concentrating on driving; I kept finding my eyes drawn to her gorgeous face.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing, baby. You're just really sexy," I said causing her to duck her head and blush. "Is there anything you're not good at? Jesus!"

She laughed self-consciously, "What do you mean?"

"Seriously!" I exclaimed. "You're like a super genius, an amazing cook, stunningly beautiful, kind, beyond amazing in bed…" I saw her cheeks darken further as I spoke. "And you have a sexy as fuck singing voice. Really, what are you bad at? Give me something so I know you're human!" I laughed.

"Jeez! I have tons of flaws! Do you really want me to name them?" The look on my face must have been all the answer she needed. "Fine! I'm really messy when I get busy. I forget to check in with people and I'm chronically late, mostly because I overcommit myself. I have been told that I can be reserved to the point of being distant or cold. Some people think I'm a bitch, but I've sort of come to terms with that. I mean people think Rose is a bitch and I just think she's awesome, so fuck 'em."

"Okay. You are a warm, open, kind person. Who the hell called you a bitch?" I said, getting pissed. It was probably the Asshole and his opinion didn't count for shit.

"I may be warm and open with you, but I can be kind of a cold bitch with new people…or with people who try my patience," she admitted. "Remember how I spoke to Mike the night we met?"

"Fuck yeah, I remember, that was awesome. That fucker needed to be taken down a peg or two," I said. I was pretty sure that was the moment I'd started falling in love with her.

"Yeah, well, not everyone shares your opinion about my awesomeness," she said. "Holy Fuck! Is this where you live?" We'd just pulled into the driveway of the house. I'd told her about my family's wealth, but each new representation of it was probably going to be slightly shocking for her.

"Uh, yeah. Ali's been living here for the last couple of years. She's had housemates on and off to keep her company, but now it's just the two of us, well and the housekeeper."

Bella hopped out of the car and I quickly followed. She was walking around on one of the neat brick paths in the front garden. When I caught up with her she was in the center of a maze of shrubbery, staring at the largest sculpture in the center of the garden; her mouth was hanging wide.

"That's not a replica is it?" she asked in awe.

"No. I don't think my mother would have placed a replica here," I answered, looking over the large bronze figure. It was a lovely nude archer with her bow extended and her foot balanced on a sphere while her back leg was extended behind her gracefully. I don't think I'd really given it much thought before, but it seemed to stun Bella for some reason.

"You do know what this is don't you? It's one of the eight bronze casts of Saint-Gaudens' half-sized version of his sculpture 'Diana'!" She looked over at my blank stare with wide eyes. "Edward! This is incredible! Your family owns this?" she exclaimed. I didn't really want to clarify that I owned this particular house and therefore this sculpture. It didn't seem like the right moment for that revelation. "Jesus, I know you're rich and all, but it keeps hitting me full force each time something new and inconceivable comes along."

"Uh…Okay, so since it seems that you know a bit about art…yeah the inside of this house is pretty much a museum. Just assume it's an original if it's here. Okay?" I grabbed her hand and pulled her along after me as I weaved my way through the ridiculous topiary maze separating us from the house. "Alice will be out for a while tonight so we have the place to ourselves right now."

She picked up the pace at my words and was quickly skipping along next to me. I opened the large wooden door and let her into the front hall before deactivating the alarm system. I debated internally for a moment about whether to show her around the house now or save it for later. My need to get her alone won out and I found myself leading her up the central staircase toward my rooms. We stayed silent as we mounted the dark wooden steps. I could see Bella's wide eyes surveying the space, moving from one painting or another to the various antiques around, struggling to decide on where to land first.

I pulled her hand up and kissed the tops of her fingers as we rounded the corner toward the second stairway. Her eyes grew wider still, but she stayed silent, as she took in the vibrant Cezanne painting at the top of the staircase. It had been my mother's favorite; she was always a fan of the post-impressionists. She followed closely behind as I pulled her along with me toward the bedroom I'd been staying in. It was a brightly decorated room with a large bed and attached bath. It wasn't as large as the master bedroom my parents used to share, but it was free of unpleasant memories.

"You must be exhausted baby," I said, dropping her bag on the floor and pulling her into my arms. "Do you want to shower or anything before bed? Are you hungry?"

"I could eat," she said.

"Why don't you take a hot shower and I'll order us up something. It should get here by the time you're done." I suggested.

"That sounds lovely. Thank you," she said before kissing me softly...at first. But I couldn't help getting lost in the feel of having her in my arms again, so our kiss quickly built. Before long we were pulling at each other's clothes, desperate to remove all barriers between us.

 **BPOV**

"I guess I should have that shower now," I said as I lay panting, my head resting on Edward's bare chest. We'd gotten carried away, yet again. I really had only wanted a little kiss before I got cleaned up for dinner. But the next thing I knew I was riding him hard on his giant, expensive looking bed in his lavishly decorated room, in his museum of a house. God, what this man does to me.

"You've turned me into some sort of sex-crazed demon!" I said as I lifted myself off of him and plopped down on the bed beside him.

He chuckled lazily, his chest still rising and falling rapidly. "It's your fault," he teased. "I've never been insatiable like this before. Celibate for several years, remember."

He rolled over onto his side, half covering my body with the length of his. His rough fingers swept gently across my cheekbone before he leaned down for a soft, lingering kiss.

"I love you so much baby," he breathed out against my lips, his forehead pressing against my own. "I've been trying so hard not to be some co-dependent, lovesick fool, but it seems like being apart doesn't work so well for either of us. Love, I was getting all twitchy, like I was in withdrawal or something."

I giggled at his words, because I totally understood. "If you're a co-dependent, lovesick fool then I'm right here with you," I said with a smirk. "We can be unhealthily addicted together because I can't stand sleeping without you anymore and I certainly can't go days without feeling you inside me again."

He growled at that and nipped at my lower lip before sucking it into his mouth and running his tongue across it.

"Mmmmm…" I hummed before pushing him back slightly. His eyes were dark and needy again. "We can't start this again," I said reluctantly. "We need to eat and I hate to say it, but I really could use a good night's sleep."

"You're right," he said pulling me off of the bed with him. "I'm sorry, but I just can't seem to help myself around you."

"Don't you dare be sorry," I admonished. "If I wasn't so wiped out from working all day and getting such shitty sleep the last couple of nights I'm sure I wouldn't have stopped us just now."

He pulled me toward the bathroom, flicking on the bright light within. "Here baby. Clean towels are over there," he said pointing to a shelf near the shower. "Use anything you'd like. Ali had it all stocked up with fancy soaps and shampoos before I arrived."

"Thanks," I said, pressing a quick, chaste kiss to his lips.

"So I'll order us some food. Thai, Pho, or Pizza?" he asked.

"Thai sounds yummy. Thanks."

"I'll leave you to it then." He backed out of the room and I went to investigate the large marble shower that took up most of the room.

Warm and refreshed from the shower, I wandered around, peeking in each room until I found Edward sitting at a small desk in a dark walled room. Whatever he was working on had his attention completely captured. He pulled at his lower lip with his thumb and index finger as he stared intently at something on the desk. I couldn't help but watch him for a moment. I hadn't seen this look before. He was so focused and serious. I wondered what he was working on. I moved quietly across the room and peered down at the desk before draping my arms over his shoulders. He turned pulled me down onto his lap.

"Mmmmm. You smell so good," he said as he nuzzled my neck.

"When's the food getting here?" I asked, resisting the temptation to turn myself to straddle his lap.

He ran his nose lightly up the length of my neck before capturing my earlobe between his hot lips. I moaned wantonly at the delicious feel of his lips and teeth pulling at my skin.

"It should be here any minute," he said into my ear, his voice gruff and quiet sending chills down my spine.

Just then his phone vibrated on the desk. He snatched it up and answered.

"I'll be right back," he said after he'd hung up. I hopped up from his lap and watched him stalk out of the room.

Forty minutes later, we were resting on a large sofa in one of the sitting rooms. It was far more comfortable than I would have guessed from the formal look of it. My belly was full of delicious, spicy food and I felt more content than I had in days.

"God that was yummy," I said as I laid my plate on the nearby coffee table. "Thanks for getting dinner. I've never been to that place before."

"I guess it's one of Ali's favorites. At least from all of the little happy faces she'd drawn on the menu," he said.

"Oh, I meant to ask you, do you guys want to come to Jasper's show with me and Rose tomorrow night?" I said hopefully. "It's just down on Church Street. We can walk from here if you'd like."

"That sounds great. I'll have to see if Ali's around, but count me in," he said enthusiastically. "What's his band called again? I can't remember."

"They're called, '3 Days Burning'," I answered.

"What the hell kind of name is that?" he asked. "It sounds like a symptom or something."

I smirked and rolled my eyes. "Jasper's really obsessed with the various mythologies around the phoenix. So he explained to me, in a drunken rant one night, that it has to do with going through fire to be resurrected and finding immortality through pain. He got really metaphysical and somewhat incoherent as he got drunker that night, so I'm not sure I have all the details right. I wouldn't suggest asking him, though. I couldn't get him to shut up for hours."

"Okay then. I'm not sure if it's Ali's sort of music, but we haven't really been out since I got here," he said. "Plus, I think she's dying to get to know you better. She had a good time the other day."

I snorted at that, "You mean before I fell asleep." God that was embarrassing. Of course the thought of sleep had me yawning hugely causing Edward to laugh heartily at me. I loved that sound, but still I scowled and threw a pillow at his head. He caught it easily.

"Let's get you to bed before I have to carry you," he teased.

"I think you like carrying me around." I said. "I mean it's not like you couldn't wake me up and ask me to walk places on my own."

His expression turned tender as he pulled me up into his arms. "I do like carrying you. I like being needed by you. I can't help it," he confessed.

He kissed me sweetly, his lips tasting of Thai chili and lime. Before long I had to break the kiss to yawn again causing him to start laughing at me again. I smacked his shoulder lightly and headed for the bedroom.

"I'm just gonna take these leftovers down to the kitchen, but I'll be back in a couple of minutes," he said, picking up the bag of food that he'd repacked. "Don't wait up for me, you need to rest."

I didn't want to listen to him; I wanted to wait up so that I could fall asleep snuggled up with him. But my treacherous body had other ideas. I was out the second my head hit the pillow.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hello friends. Here's the promised bonus chapter, because being snowed in most of the week makes me productive. I hope you all had a super sexy, fun Valentine 's Day. If not, here's some lemons to make up for it. & some other stuff too, like plot and character illumination, blah, blah, blah ; )**

 **Obvs. I don't own twilight or its characters. I do however own a yard with more than four feet of snow in it…that's almost as good.**

 **EPOV**

Bella was looking entirely adorable as she spun around the massive kitchen, taking everything in for the first time. I was a far better cook than either of my siblings, but I was only just passible, having learned so that I could survive on my own. Years of living with servants and a mother who loved to cook herself, had left us all fairly helpless in the kitchen. So Bella would be the first person to really enjoy cooking here since my mother was last here.

With a look of utter wonder, she opened the large stainless steel fridge and began poking around at its contents. She started piling things up on the island behind her, occasionally squealing with excitement when she found some ingredient that pleased her.

"Are you sure I can use anything in here? Your sister won't mind?" she asked as she continued to accumulate ingredients on the counter.

She was so fucking cute. "Really, whatever you want. The housekeeper stocks the fridge with basics and cooks a couple of nights a week. She'll restock tomorrow anyway, so go crazy," I said, sliding onto one of the stools near the island so I could watch her at work. I don't know why I enjoyed watching Bella cook so much. I guess, I just liked seeing her take a bunch of seemingly random things and turn them into something delicious with little effort. It was a little like magic to me.

Soon she had muffins in the oven and a couple of pans going with various things: definitely bacon or pancetta in one and something of the vegetable variety in the other. My mouth was already watering from the aromas in the air. I heard soft footsteps behind me and turned to see a very sleepy looking Ali shuffling across the room in giant pajamas that she was nearly drowning in. She plopped down on the stool beside me and rubbed her face in a way that made her look like a four year old waking up from a nap. I reached across the counter to pour her a cup of coffee. I slid it and the cream and sugar in front of her. Without fully opening her eyes she added copious amounts of each to her mug before taking a giant sip. About two minutes and half a cup later, Ali seemed to start actually waking up.

"Oh my god. What is that glorious smell?" she asked still sounding subdued for her. Her eyes widened comically as she took in Bella's activity at the stovetop, it was as if she'd never seen someone cook before. While Ali sat in her stunned silence, Bella set a plate full of food in front of her. I had to laugh at the look of utter shock that graced my sister's face.

"What is this?" Ali asked, sounding confused to an alarming degree. If I didn't know her better it would have sounded rude. Looking over at Bella I saw uncertainty on her face.

"It's breakfast Ali. What does it look like?" I responded.

She looked down at the plate closely as if inspecting an unknown substance. "No, breakfast is toast with jam or maybe cereal. This," she said waving a hand toward her plate. "this is a fucking work of art!"

Bella giggled, relief evident in her voice when she spoke. "You're not a vegetarian are you? There's bacon in there."

"Yum! I love bacon!" Ali exclaimed picking up her fork. She took a huge bite of her omelet and moaned loudly in response. As soon as she could speak again she said, "Thank you so much Bella! This is fan-freakin-tastic! I can't believe you can cook like this. You could open a restaurant!"

"It's just an omelet, muffin and some toast Alice. It's nothing," she shrugged.

"I would argue with you, but I need to keep eating this. Just know that I would win this argument eventually. So you ought to just concede now. You are a fuck-awesome cook!" Ali exclaimed before shoveling another forkful into her mouth.

"You really are, Love." I agreed. "Thank you." Bella had just placed a plate of food in front of me. She came over to join us a few minutes later and we all settled into a comfortable silence as we ate.

As soon as Alice finished her food it was if a switch had been flipped and she was able to approach the day with full energy. Which for Ali meant hyper and frenetic energy.

"Thank you so much Bella! Yum!" she exclaimed, pushing her plate away. She hopped up and poured herself another cup of coffee before turning to Bella with wide excited eyes, "What are we doing today? Do you want to come to my studio and try on some of my new designs?"

"Um….sure?" Bella responded, looking over at me with a touch of fear in her eyes.

"I have this really beautiful dress that would be perfect for you. You're short, like me, well not as short as me because no one really is, but I'm always trying to make things for us girls of smaller stature. It seems like everything you see in fashion only suits one body type," she ranted. Drawing a deep breath she continued her monologue on fashion. "I mean, I think tall, slender women are lovely, don't get me wrong, but I want to design clothes that will look amazing on all sorts of women, you know? Ohhhh! I just got the best idea!" She started bouncing on the balls of her feet unable to contain her enthusiasm.

"You should model for me!" she screeched looking at Bella. "Oh! You'd be perfect! You're so beautiful and I want some girls who aren't six feet tall and rail thin like Kate and Irina. Please, please, please say you'll do it! I would love you forever and ever!" Alice was in full pout mode, which seemed to leave Bella speechless.

"Uuhhhh…" she looked over at me with wide, worried eyes.

"You don't have to do it if you don't want to, baby," I said, trying to reassure her.

Ali reached over and smacked the back of my head. "Shut it Edwardo! She can make decisions for herself," she chastised me. Turning to Bella she said, "You know you can say no if you really don't want to, but we will have so much fun and can get to know each other better in the process! Oh, and I know you're really busy so we can work around your schedule. I promise! Please say yes!"

My girl's sweet laughter filled the air. "You really don't need that second cup of coffee, do you?" She looked at my sister for a moment, weighing something in her mind. "Okay. I'll do it, but—"

"You'll do it!" Ali shrieked, interrupting whatever Bella was going to say. "Oh I'm so excited! I have so many ideas for you! You're going to look amazing! I can't wait-"

"Ali!" I shouted, causing her to jump a bit and stop talking instantly. An embarrassed look took over her face as she became aware of her exuberant outburst. She'd always had trouble reining in her enthusiasm once she got going. I knew she'd had trouble maintaining some of her friendships over the years. People often found her a bit much to handle.

"I'd be happy to help you out Alice," Bella said, reaching over to reassure Ali with a gentle squeeze of her hand. "but I have to ask you not to put me in anything too revealing and to not make me do anything provocative or sexy. I wouldn't be comfortable with that."

"Of course," Ali answered in a slightly muted tone with a shy smile. "I wouldn't ever want you to be uncomfortable. Just tell me if I push you to do anything you don't want to do. I might need to me reminded…gently if I get too carried away. But I want us to have fun."

"Okay. I'll give you my contact info and we can work things out."

"Awesome! Thank you so much. You won't regret this!" Ali was back to bouncing now and Bella just laughed at her antics.

"So…" I said, changing the subject. "I wanted to talk to both of you." They each looked at me with faintly apprehensive expressions. "I have to go back to Forks for a couple of days. I have to arrange some things for the house and find someone to take care of the place. Do you know anyone, baby? It would be a paying job with housing if they want it."

"What housing? The cottage you were living in there?" she asked.

"Yeah. I'm going to get it cleared out. I need to have my piano moved here and to pack up the rest of my things. But then the house would be available to the caretaker. Plus a salary. I just need someone reliable to keep an eye on things and arrange to have things repaired if they break." Most of my mom's things were still in the main house. I wasn't quite sure what to do with everything yet. Bella had said that maybe getting away from that house for a while would make it easier to deal with. So maybe in a year or so I could go back and deal with it.

"Actually, Ben and Ange have been living in a small townhouse that they barely fit in. The cottage would be perfect for them." She paused for a minute, considering something. "I'm not sure how excited Ange will be about moving so close to her due date, but Ben would be a great caretaker. He works for the park service and is pretty handy. Plus he's related to half the town's tradespeople, so that'd be helpful."

"Would you give her a call and ask if I can meet with them while I'm out there?" I asked. "If they're not interested they may know someone who is."

"When do you have to go?" she asked. I understood immediately the anxiety I detected in her eyes. We'd both just acknowledged how hard it was for us to be apart and now I was telling her I had to leave.

"I'm pretty flexible, but I didn't want to put it off too long," I answered. "I only need to go out for a couple of days. I promise, I won't be gone long." I said, cupping her cheek. "I was thinking I'd go after your classes start. You'll be so busy you'll hardly miss me."

"I'll miss you," she said softly. "but I understand that you have responsibilities."

After breakfast we cleaned up the kitchen and Ali agreed to meet up with us again at 9 to head to the club so we could watch Jasper's band play. She was more than eager to meet Bella's friend Rose. I on the other hand was a bit apprehensive at the prospect. I didn't expect a warm welcome, but I would work to gain her approval.

 **BPOV**

"Ange said they're definitely interested," I said, walking into the music room where Edward was working. He looked up from his laptop, his green eyes stunning me yet again with their vibrant hue. The small smile that tugged at his lips sent a wave of desire through me. Would I ever get used to the effect this gorgeous man had on me? Probably not.

"She's kind of pissed that I won't be coming with you to meet them," I explained. "She said they can be around any evening next week, but if you need to meet in the day it'll have to be on the weekend."

"No, the evening should be fine. Thank you for arranging things," he said, reaching out to pull me onto his lap. He seemed to want me close whenever possible, not that I minded. "I'll email her and work out a time to meet. I was thinking I'd go on Monday, so I could try to get back before the weekend."

I sighed, hating the idea of him being across the country from me, but I knew it only showed how serious he was about staying. I loved the idea of Ben and Ange living in his cottage. They'd been renting the townhouse from her folks since they got married, but she'd been stressing about the limited space ever since they'd found out she was expecting. This could be great for them. And I knew Ange wouldn't mind a bit of distance from her family. Her family was the polar opposite of mine; they smothered her with affection and wanted to be involved in every aspect of her life.

"I know you need to go. I'll be fine, I promise." I said, kissing him tenderly. "I'll miss you though. You have to promise me a day in bed when you get back."

"Mmmmm…" he moaned against my neck, the vibration radiating across my skin from his lips. "I like the sound of that. We still have a few hours before we need to start getting ready, should we have a trial run of our day in bed?"

He moved to capture my lips with his own. Just as our kiss was starting to heat up I felt my phone buzzing in my pocket.

"Ugh. I'm sorry it's probably Rose. Let me just check in with her really quick." I said, wiggling a bit more than necessary on his lap as I pulled out my phone.

"Fuck, baby," he said, squeezing my ass. "You're evil, you know that?"

I just shrugged and gave him a smug grin as I answered my phone. I probably should have looked at the display before I answered, but I was too distracted by Edward's tongue running along his full bottom lip.

"Hello?" I said.

"Izzy! How are you sweetie!" the shrill voice greeted me. My face must have spoken volumes because I instantly felt Edward's arms tighten protectively around me.

"Mother. I've asked you many times not to call me that. It's not a name that I like. Please stop using it." I said with as much civility as I could manage.

"Why do you insist on being difficult? It's a sweet, affectionate nickname," she argued with an odd little giggle as if this was all super amusing. "For Christ's sake! You'd think I called you something rude or disrespectful. I am your mother; I named you Isabella so I could call you Izzy. It's sweet."

"It's disrespectful to continue calling me something you know I dislike. Why can't you just honor my request to call me Bella?"

"Wow, Isabella. When did you become such an uptight little brat?" she laughed. She liked to mask our conflicts with laughter. I was sure she thought it defused tension, but in reality it only served to hurt my feelings. "I swear I raised you to respect your elders."

I wanted to tell her that she'd hardly raised me at all, but she was severely delusional about her parenting skills. I rubbed my temple and took a few deep breathes to calm myself. My mother had gotten increasingly unpleasant in recent years. She used to just make me feel neglected, but recently she seemed to resent me. I couldn't figure out what had changed. Maybe I'd never understand her.

"Is there a reason you called, mother?" I asked as calmly as I could.

"Do I need a reason to call my daughter?" she countered with another irritating giggle.

"You usually have one. It's a reasonable question," I answered.

"Fine!" she huffed. "I was calling to tell you we'd be in Boston next weekend for Phil's work. I'm not asking to stay with you or anything. God knows I can't stand those hick roommates you live with, but I thought we might meet for dinner or something while we're in town. Initially Phil thought his business would only take him a few hours and we'd have most of the weekend to sightsee, but it looks like he'll be busy for most of the weekend and I'll be bored on my own so much. So he suggested I should visit with you. Isn't that nice?" Yeah, super nice backup plan.

"Sure. Why don't you call me when you're available and we can get together," I said, careful not to commit myself to anything. I'd learned long ago not to make concrete plans with my mother. It was easier on both of us to just hope things worked out at the last minute. Otherwise I ended up really annoyed when she would inevitably cancel at the last minute after I'd rearranged my whole schedule to accommodate her. This way, if I have time I'll see her, if not, no big loss.

"Okay, sweet pea. It was so great catching up! I'll see you soon!" she hung up before I could respond. I wondered if she even realized that we didn't catch up about anything at all. Other than discussing her upcoming visit, we'd basically just rehashed old arguments. Well that was Renee for you, always walking away from a conversation with her own distinctive perspective on what had happened.

"Baby, are you okay?" Edward asked cautiously. I was still sitting on his lap, snuggled up a bit with my head resting on his shoulder. He had been stroking my hair soothingly as I talked.

"Yeah, I guess," I responded. "I just keep being surprised at how uncaring she is. She used to be flakey, but kind to me. Lately it seems like she's angry with me, but I've barely seen her and I can't imagine what she could be pissed about."

He pulled me tight against his chest and kissed my hair softly. "Baby, you have had such a shit hand dealt to you as far as family's concerned. I swear I will spend the rest of my life making sure you know how loved you are. You are so special, so fucking unbelievably worthy of love, your family are all missing out on so much by alienating you the way they all do." His voice had taken on an angry edge that I'd only heard a couple of times before. It seemed to come through when he was feeling protective of me.

"Fuck baby, I'm sorry. I don't mean to talk shit about your family. I know I shouldn't, but I hate that they treat you like this. You are such a good person and they should be so fucking proud of that. Instead, it's like they can't even see who you are at all."

I lifted my head from his chest so that I could look into his eyes. I found exactly what I expected, a fierce determined fire burning within them.

"Thank you," I said, my voice a bit rough. "I don't know how I got so lucky, finding you the way I did, but I will be forever grateful. I love you, so much."

He wiped away the tears that I hadn't realized were falling on my cheeks and then pressed his lips softly to mine. The heat from his tongue slid against my lips and parted them. I let myself get lost in his kisses and his soft touches. He lifted me from the chair and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He quickly carried me to the adjacent bedroom and laid me on the messy bed. Slowly he stripped my clothing, leaving reverent kisses and touches along the way. This was about more than sex. This was about Edward showing in action, what he'd just told me. That I was worthy of love, that I was so very loved by this man. I could feel his love for me in every touch, every kiss.

His lips found their way to my hot folds. Soon he slipped his tongue inside me, tasting me, making me writhe and moan as only he could. My back arched off the bed as he rolled my clit between his fingers and continued to plunge his tongue in and out of me. More quickly than I could have imagined I was shaking with my orgasm as my fingers gripped tightly on his hair.

As I lay panting, I watched him strip the rest of his clothing of piece by piece. I was mesmerized anew by his perfect body. He was lean and muscular and his movements all had a sort of natural grace to them that seemed inhuman at times. Dropping his jeans and boxers to the floor, he crawled up onto the bed between my still-trembling thighs. Resting on his elbows above me he kissed me slowly, languidly, sharing with me the taste on his lips. I gasped as he entered me, my legs coming up instinctively to wrap around him.

"I love you so much baby," he said as our bodies moved together. I held his face between my hands and held his gaze with my eyes. I needed him to see the love within me. Our slow deep thrusts turned faster and harder as we moved together. I felt his hand slide between us and begin to stroke and tease my clit.

"Baby, are you close…." he breathed out against my lips. I could feel the tension in his body as he struggled to keep himself from cumming.

"Yes!" I gasped. "Harder!" I cried out, my heels digging into his ass.

"Fuck baby!" he said, instantly complying with my demand. I cried out as my climax washed through me and he quickly followed. His hips drove against mine with one last forceful thrust as he gasped out my name and came deep within me.

When our breathing had slowed and our hearts had calmed I found myself laying under his heated body. He'd lifted himself off of me and was resting with half his body draped over mine. I was stroking his soft hair as he dozed and reflecting on the last hour or so. I felt so at home here, in Edward's arms, more at home than I think I'd ever felt. To belong here, with him, was both thrilling and terrifying. Before now, I would never have known what it was to miss belonging to someone. I'd never really felt tethered to my family as most people do. But here, now, with Edward, I felt bound in a way that I couldn't even have conceived of a month ago. I was beginning to wonder if this is what it felt like to have a family, to have a home.

-ooooooooooooooooooooooooo000000000000OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO000000000000ooooooooooooooooooooooooo-

"We should start getting ready." Edward's groggy voice vibrated against my chest where his head rested. He'd said the words, but he made no move to get up. I chuckled as he nuzzled my breast and began laying open mouthed kisses there.

"What's so funny?" he asked, his mouth half full of my flesh. This only served to cause giggles to burst from my lips. So fucking cute.

"You," I stated simply.

He lifted his head from my chest, leaning up to look at me. His face was creased with sleepy lines and his eyes were still half closed.

"What exactly did I do to amuse you so much, Love?" he asked, his voice husky and rough with sleep.

"You don't seem fully committed to the idea of getting up and getting ready, no matter what you say," I teased, running my fingers through his riotous hair. I loved the way he groaned in pleasure as I ran my fingernails lightly over his scalp. It was impossible to resist when he looked at me like this.

"Can you blame me baby?" he asked. "How could I want to be anywhere else, when I have you here, warm and naked…" he trailed off as he ran his hand down my body and slid his fingers over my hot center, "…and oh so wet for me always, baby. How can you expect me to be strong enough to ever willingly leave this bed?" He slipped two fingers through my folds, gently caressing me and causing me to whimper and squirm under him. When his fingers sank into me, moving in and out of my pussy in slow, rhythmic strokes, I gasped and raised my hips to meet his hand.

"That sound right there, my love, that desperate, needy moan that just left your lips, is a sound I've grown to live for," he said as he continued to move his hand in slow deep thrusts.

His thumb began pressing small circles to my sensitive clit, causing my hips to buck and a fresh moan to spill from my lips. His movements became more purposeful, no more teasing, soft touches. I was barely aware of the needy sounds coming from me as I moved against his talented fingers.

"Yesss. Give it to me baby girl," he said, his voice raspy and rough with lust. "I need to feel you come on my fingers. I need to see your face as you scream out my name." His word sent me over the edge and without thought his name rasped from my throat in a hoarse cry. My body shuddered as he fingers slowed, easing me down from my high.

I lay next to him, barely conscious, trying to regain control over my body. When I could speak again, my throat slightly sore from crying out before, I opened my eyes slowly and said roughly, "magic fucking fingers." Causing him to chuckle deeply. I loved the feel of his laughter rumbling out of his chest and through me as our bodies lay pressed together.

"We really should get going…" I said reluctantly. "Come shower with me." I said with a sly grin. I could feel his erection pressed against my leg. I pulled him up with me toward the bathroom, eager to reciprocate.

 **EPOV**

"Baby, we're not gonna have time to get dinner at this rate," I said over my shoulder. Bella had slid her hand around my waist and up my bare chest as I was fastening my jeans. We were running late thanks to our extra-long nap, followed by our extra-long shower, but we really didn't have time for more if she wanted to see her friend's band tonight. She huffed out an annoyed breath and walked away to get ready.

When we were headed down the stairs a while later, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and frowned down at the display.

"What's wrong baby? Is it your mom again?" I asked, hating the hurtful things I'd overheard earlier.

"No, it's Jay," she responded sounding irritated. "He's threatening me with blackmail." She didn't sound particularly worried, so though I was curious, I figured it wasn't a big deal.

We found Ali waiting downstairs, bouncing as usual.

"Hi guys! I'm so excited. I've never been to this club before. Am I dressed okay?" she asked, looking down at her outfit with concern.

"You look great Alice!" Bella said. Ali was wearing a short, black leather skirt with some kind of black tights with a crazy pattern on them. She had super tall heals on and a red silky top on. She looked a little overdressed if you asked me, but she usually was. Bella and I had kept things pretty casual, both of us opting for jeans, though my girl was a bit more dressed up, with skin-tight pants and a sexy blue top that hugged her curves.

We stopped at a little café down the block from the club and had a bite before we met up with Rose. As we were sitting down with our food a tall, curvy, blond woman approached our table.

"Hey guys, mind if I join you?" she asked with a slight southern softness to her voice.

Bella jumped up from the table. "Rose! I thought you couldn't make it until later!" she said excitedly. "Are you hungry? We got a bunch of food."

Rose sat down next to Bella and eyed me speculatively before turning to my sister with a wide, sweet smile. "Hi I'm Rosalie Hale, but you can call me Rose." She reached out her hand toward my sister.

"Hi Rose!" my sister replied, taking her offered hand and shaking it. "It's so good to meet you! I'm Alice! I've heard so much about you. I have to ask, have you ever considered modeling? You are stunningly beautiful!"  
Rose looked a bit astounded at my sisters outburst, as people often did when first meeting Ali. I chuckled at her confused expression. She turned her eyes to me and the narrowed suspiciously. "So you must be Edward then." She didn't offer me her hand; she only watched me with a hard, reproving stare.

Undeterred, I reached across the table, offering my hand to her. "Hi Rosalie, I'm Edward. I'm so happy to meet you." She made no move to take my hand so I dropped it to the table, but I wouldn't be discouraged that easily. I knew how important Rose was to Bella. "I haven't met much of Bella's family yet, just Angela. So I'm looking forward to getting to know you."

She was silent for a moment and I could see Bella getting anxious. I grabbed her hand under the table and squeezed it for reassurance. She needed to know I wasn't going to be spooked easily.

"Yes, well, I won't be as eager to like you as Angela. She's a sweet girl, but I'm not gonna fall for your charm like she probably did. Don't you think you're a little old to be dating a twenty-one year old girl?" she asked, a cold edge in her voice.

"I wouldn't really call Bella a _girl_ , but yes, we've got quite an age gap." I looked at her suspicious glare and I knew I had my work cut out for me. "Listen, I know it's going to take time for you to trust me and my intentions toward Bella, but I love her deeply and I don't plan on going anywhere unless she sends me away. I'm here for as long as she'll have me."

She eyed me for another long moment before turning back to my sister. "Did you ask me if I modeled?" Rose asked her, sounding slightly confused. "That seems kind of random."

"Well, Rose, you are absolutely gorgeous! You have that whole tall, hourglass figure thing going on." Ali said. "I'm getting marketing together to launch my clothing line this summer. Do you think I could talk you into modeling for me. Bella's already agreed to do it—"

"Really?" Rose asked incredulously, turning to Bella with surprise. Bella just nodded as she took a bite of her sandwich.

"Yes!" Ali said. "I have three models so far, but I'd really love to work with you. It would just be a couple of fittings and a couple of photo shoots. Plus I love the idea of working with professional women who have interesting careers. I'm thinking of featuring a short bio of each of you. Bella's an up and coming scientist, Kate's in publishing, Irina's a curator, and you're an engineer, right?" Rose just nodded as she started in on some of the snacks we'd filled the table with.

"Wouldn't that be such a great campaign? Young, hot, career women in hot clothing." Ali was full out bouncing in her seat now. "I wonder if I could find a couple of other women in interesting fields. Maybe a musician or someone in teaching…" she mused.

"What about Maggie?" Bella asked, turning to Rose. "She'd probably do it. And she's hot. Fiery red hair, light brown skin, striking green eyes."

"Yeah, she'd be into it," Rose agreed. "Plus it'd be good exposure for the band."

"Who's Maggie?" Ali asked, her eyes lit up brightly.

"She's the fiddle player in Jasper's band. She's super hot," Rose said. "She's really cool too, super laid back and really funny."

"Oh! I can't wait to meet her. Do you really think she'd do it?" Ali asked.

Bella shrugged. "I think she would. She's modeled a bit in the past, but usually for artist friends of hers. We can ask her after the show."

"Awesome!" Ali glanced down at her phone. "Can we head over now?"

"Uh, the doors don't open for half an hour," Bella laughed.

"Oh. Okay." Ali pouted causing the rest of us to laugh at her.

 **BPOV**

We made our way into the already crowded club. The space wasn't huge, but it was a decent venue for the band. They'd been making some noise in the local music scene lately and some of the hotter clubs were starting to book them. They'd done a small tour this fall of colleges in the north east and were planning a larger tour in the spring.

We found a table near the stage. The girls and I staked our claim, while Edward went to the bar to get us some drinks. Rose was trying her hardest to dislike him, but I could tell she'd already softened to him a bit.

"I'm so excited! And I can't wait to meet Maggie!" Ali enthused. I was beginning to really like Edward's sister. She was kind of intense in her energy, but she was so sweet and genuine. I had a hard time imagining how anyone could dislike her. But according to Edward Ali had a tough time maintaining friendships and she was insecure about her overpowering personality.

Just then the band started making their way on stage. Jasper caught my eye and raised a brow at me and I just nodded in response, causing a smug smirk to cross his face. He'd named his terms and I knew I'd give in to him. It would be easier than Rose coming after me for 'desecrating the entry of our home' as Jasper kept calling it. He loved that he had something over me. He knew my fear of Rose would win out and he could get me to do what he wanted.

"Good evenin' folks." Jasper rasped into the mike. "To start us off tonight, I've coerced my good friend, Bee to join us on the stage. She's always a bit reluctant, so help me convince her to get her sweet ass up here to help us out with the first song." The audience clapped and shouted at his request and I was glad Edward was over at the bar so he didn't have to see my bright red face. Refusing to look at Rose or Ali, I jumped up and joined the band on stage. I hated singing in public. I'd been talked into doing backup on some of the recordings the band did last summer, but Jasper loved dragging me on stage when he could. I wasn't really nervous; I knew my voice was okay. I just hated this kind of attention.

I turned and saw Maggie doing some final tuning on her fiddle. Her eyes were lit up with mirth and I knew the rest of the band was enjoying my discomfort as much as Jasper was. I just scowled playfully at her which only caused her to laugh. They started playing a song I'd sung with Jasper on drunken nights in our apartment, but never before an audience. I love this song; it was one of the few covers the band did. Jasper always preferred playing their original stuff.

He looked over at me, that annoying smirk on his face making me want to smack him. I leaned toward the mike and closed my eyes. If I pretended we were home, drinking in our living room, I could get through the song.

"I don't own a single gun. but if I did you'd be the one to hold it, aim it, make all of the bad men run, but I don't own a single gun.." I began the Lumineers' song that Jasper had reworked into a slightly country sounding duet. His voice joined mine and I had to admit we always sounded good together. He had a southern twang to his voice and I knew my softer voice layered with his well.

When we finished the song, my eyes were still closed. I heard the cheers and applause from the room around us and I felt my face heat in response. When I finally opened my eyes I found Edward instantly. His expression was dark and filled with lust. It made me want to run to him and jump him right here in this crowded club.

"A huge thank you to the lovely Isabella Marie!" Jasper called into the mike. The noise in the room surged again as I hopped off the stage and back toward our table. Edward's eyes never left me as I made my way over to him. I went to sit back in my seat, but he wasn't having it. He pulled me roughly onto his lap and captured my lips in a needy kiss. Forgetting where we were for a moment, I moaned as he deepened the kiss. I was about ready to grind myself against him when I felt something cold and wet splash across my face. We pulled apart instantly and turned to see Rose and Alice watching us with amused grins.

"Did you just throw water on us?" I asked Rose incredulously.

"I only splashed you a bit! Someone had to do something before you two started fucking here in the middle of this bar."

Alice laughed, most likely at my embarrassed expression. Rose was right. We'd been completely unaware of anything but each other.

"Bella! That was amazing! You and Jasper sound unbelievable together! And he's SO HOT! Please tell me he's single!" Ali gushed. I giggled at her ramble. I had a feeling Jasper would love the adorable ball of energy that was Alice.

"Thanks Ali. And yeah, he's single." I replied. The goofy smile that took over her face made me laugh, but I felt Edward tense against me. I looked over at his scowling face and asked, "What's wrong?"

His face softened and he whispered in my ear, "I can't help it. My baby sister is lusting after some guy she hasn't even met yet. It's an automatic older brother response."

"Get over it. Ali's a big girl and Jasper's a good person." His lips were in a tight line, but he nodded reluctantly.

"They're really good!" Ali said to me as the noise quieted down from the latest round of applause. "I've never heard anything like this music. It's awesome!" The crowd was all riled up as the band kept the music going. We had a great night drinking and enjoying the band's performance. By the time they were winding down, I could see Ali was completely starry eyed for my charismatic roommate. That man's charm knew no ends.

"Thank you guys! You've been an awesome audience." Jasper's voice filled the room again. "Thanks again to little Bella for lending us her gorgeous voice. This is our last song tonight, but we'll be out front with CDs and other merch after the show. So come by and meet us." He started strumming his guitar with the familiar chords of a song I remember him working on last year. It was an angry, vengeful breakup song that he wrote after he finally split up with his on-again off-again girlfriend Maria for the last time. She was sort of crazy, at least they seemed to make each other crazy.

I looked over at Alice. Her face was wide open and full of wonder. She was so smitten already, but then again Jay seemed to have that effect on most women.

We hung around for a bit sipping our drinks at our seats, while the band manned the table out in the lobby. Twenty minutes or so later things were winding down so I brought Ali and Edward over to meet the band. Alice had somehow quieted her frenetic vibe and she was calmer than I'd ever seen her as we walked across the lobby toward Jasper.

"Hey guys! Great gig!" I said, pulling Jay down for a hug.

"Thanks Lil' Bell. Your debt's clear," he said pulling away. "You sure you won't consider guesting for us more often? I don't always want to have to use unsavory methods to get you on stage with me."

I rolled my eyes at him. "No Jay, I still hate it," I said. Feeling a small hand gripping my arm a little too tightly, I turned to see an anxious Alice. "Oh, Jay this is Edward's sister Alice. Alice this is my good friend and roommate Jasper Hale."

I saw the flip switch as Jasper took in Alice and turned his charm on full blast. "Well hello there little darlin' it's good to meet you. Did you enjoy the music?"

"Oh my goodness! You guys are amazing!" Ali gushed. I turned to see Edward scowling down at her and I could only laugh at him.

"What?" he asked, turning to me with overly innocent eyes.

"I think it was just yesterday that Jasper was giving you that same exact look!" I said, amused with his behavior. He pursed his lips slightly, trying not to let himself laugh at my observation.

He pulled me to his chest and leaned down for a kiss, Alice's fixation on Jasper forgotten for the moment. I could hear her bubbly voice chattering away in the background and Jasper's melodious laughter responding.

"Are you guys gonna be like this all the time now?" Rose's acerbic voice interrupted.

I pulled away to look at my friend, prepared to snap back at her snarky tone, but she looked amused instead of annoyed like I expected.

"Yes," I responded. I hooked my arm around hers and kept one around Edward's waist. We walked toward the exit.

"Ali, we're headed out. You coming?" Edward asked as we neared his sister.

She looked over at her brother in surprise. I had a feeling she'd forgotten we were here. "Uh, no I think I'll stick around a bit," she said. Turning back to Jasper she said, "Do you want to go get a drink somewhere or do you have to finish up here?"

He smiled brightly, not the typical cocky grin he usually threw at girls. "No sugar, we can get a drink if you're up for it. I'll just let them know I'm taking off. The guys can pack up." He faced Edward, looking him directly in the eye. "I will make sure she gets home safe tonight. You have my word." There was no doubting the sincerity in his voice, even Edward looked pacified by the statement.

"You be sure to do that," he responded sternly. "Good night Ali. Be safe okay."

"Sure thing big brother. I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight guys." She said cheerfully.

We walked Rose home and the walk was far more enjoyable than I would have thought. It seemed like she was trying to give Edward a chance after her initial coldness toward him. She asked him about his work and he asked about her studies. Things were far from easy, but they were getting there. After we dropped her off, we made our way back toward his house, enjoying the crisp winter air. It wasn't so bad when you had a warm, boyfriend to snuggle up with. We kept stopping to warm each other up with kisses so the walk took twice as long as necessary. By the time we got to the house we were both worked up and eager to get inside.

"Baby, I fucking loved watching you sing up there tonight," he said as we climbed the last few steps to the third floor. "I understand that you don't like performing, but it was fucking hot and I hope you'll sing for me again sometime." He'd been pulling me toward the bedroom and we'd been stripping each other of clothing on the way. I started unbuttoning his jeans like I'd wanted to do all night and I dropped to my knees in front of him.

"Oh fuck, baby," he groaned as I released him from his boxer briefs and slid the rest of his clothing toward the floor and out of my way. I kissed the tip of his gorgeous cock with an open, wet mouth causing him to grunt in response. I loved the taste of him. I never thought I would enjoy giving head the way I did with Edward. I slid my mouth down over the length of his shaft and I heard the air leave his lungs in a rush. His fingers wove through my hair and he gripped it the way he'd learned I liked. I loved when he guided me, when he took what he wanted from me. There was something that turned me on so much about my sweet, caring boyfriend getting all needy and a bit rough. I liked that he was losing control, that he wanted me this badly. I moaned around his cock as he thrust in and out of my mouth. Loving the feel of his smooth, heated skin against my lips. I gripped his hips with my hands as I sank my mouth further down onto him.

"Jesus, baby. You are so fucking good at that," he gasped, increasing the speed of his thrusts. I could feel the wetness between my legs and almost without thinking I slid one of my hands from his hip and trailed it down between my legs. I worked my clit in furious circles as his hips thrust against me.

"Fuck baby, are you touching yourself?" he gritted out. "that is so fucking hot. I'm so close baby. Can you make yourself come for me." God I loved when he talked to me like this. His dirty words drove me closer to the edge of my orgasm. He seemed to swell even more in my mouth as I worked my fingers against my swollen bundle of nerves. I felt the warmth of my climax begin to flood through me as his movements began to become erratic.

"Baby, I can't wait…." he groaned. I sucked harder on his length before lightly grazing him with my teeth. That was enough to send him over the edge and I felt him spill in long spurts down my throat. He let out a load roar as he came. He stilled after a moment and I heard his ragged breaths begin to calm. Before I knew what was happening he'd lifted me off the floor and thrown me onto the edge of the bed. He sank to his knees and swirled his hot tongue over my aching clit.

"Oh god!" I cried out. I was already so close to cumming that it didn't take long before I was crying out his name as he sucked hard on my sensitive clit. I shook under him as he licked gently at my core, prolonging my pleasure until I didn't know if I could take any more. We collapsed in the bed, our limbs tangled together, my head on his chest as he stroked my hair lovingly.

"I'm never letting you go. You know that right?" he whispered as he kissed my head. His words warmed my chest and filled me for a hope for the future that I didn't know I'd been missing.

"I'm yours Edward," I said quietly. "I don't want to be anywhere else, but with you." He pulled me tight against his chest.

"I'm yours, too. You know that, right?" he asked. "In every possible way. I'm yours."

We fell asleep, our bodies still entwined, his heartbeat pulsing in my ear like a gentle lullaby soothing away my worries and calming my fears.

 **A/N: I haven't been doing this, but a story I read this week made me desperate to rec it to people. So here goes: Fic rec of the week: Kush by LayAtHomeMom: This story had me cracking up, plus it's super sweet. My only complaint was wanting more of it, but that's not really a complaint as much as a compliment.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hi Friends! So, a day late an a few pages short, sorry about the delay and shortness of this chapter. I promise more next week. Apparently two chapters in a week is more than I can handle, but fun none the less. Plus I can't help but work on my other stories as well, even if this is my top priority.**

 **I'm excited about this chapter; I've had the closing scene to this chapter in my head since I wrote CH 5.**

 **Thanks so much again for all the love! It's so much fun to write when you know people are reading and enjoying. So thanks!**

 **Obvs. : I don't own twilight or its characters, but I do own this little plot.**

 **EPOV**

I'd forgotten already how grey it tended to be here. The cloud cover overhead was thick and the cold mist seemed to wrap around me like an unwelcoming blanket. Looking at the small cottage that I'd called home for the last several years, I found myself reflecting yet again on how much my life had changed in the last month. Bella. It had been nearly impossible to leave her this morning. I'd had to leave her in her bed before the sun had risen to catch my flight to Seattle. I couldn't resist waking her, needing to taste her once more before I flew thousands of miles away from her. I was lucky her apartment was such a short cab ride away from the airport; I would absolutely have been late otherwise. But I'm a weak man when it comes to Bella and I couldn't deny her when she'd begged me to take her once more before I left.

Standing here now, I found myself anxious to get things sorted out as quickly as possible. Maybe I could catch an earlier flight back if I made good time clearing things. I couldn't leave before Friday, though because I had a meeting scheduled with my lawyer's office that I didn't want to put off. Bounding up the steps, I fished my keys from my pocket and let myself into the empty house.

I was happy that Ben and Angela seemed so eager to move here. This had been such a place of sadness and loss for me. The idea that they would be here at the start of their little family would have made my mother happy. She'd loved children and she always said a house was never so happy as when there were tiny feet tramping through it.

Checking the time, I saw that I had a couple of hours before I was meeting with Ben and Angela. I looked around the house, making a mental list of everything that needed to be taken care of. I'd have to pick up some more boxes while I was in town. I had some in storage, but probably not enough to pack everything away. I heaved a heavy sigh and bolstered myself for the task. The sooner I finished, the sooner I'd get home to Bella.

~oo0O0oo~

"Hi Edward!" Angela's bright voice interrupted my reading. I'd been occupying a booth in the bar and reading while I waited for Bella's friends to arrive. It was early yet, and the bar was just starting to fill up with customers. I saw a short, sandy haired man standing behind Angela.

"Hi! You look great Angela! Bella said you're due soon," I remarked. Her belly was noticeably larger than the last time I'd seen her.

She looked down and rubbed her hands over her abdomen and said, "Yeah. I'm pretty ready to meet this little guy. Well that and to not worry about knocking anyone over with my giant protruding belly," she laughed brightly before sliding into the booth across from me.

"Edward this is Ben," she said, gesturing toward her husband as he sat down beside her. "Ben, this is Bella's boyfriend Edward."

"Good to meet you," I said extending my hand toward him. I was half expecting another protective brother moment like I'd had with Jasper, but Ben seemed easy going as he reached out to clasp my hand.

"You too," he said. "Thanks for thinking of us for this. It could be really good for us."

"Sure. Bella thought of it, actually, but I think it's a great idea. Do you guys want to order some food and we'll talk over details?" I asked, picking up my menu. "If my offer sounds good to you, I'd love to get everything figured out so I can head back to Boston before the end of the week."

Angela smiled brightly at my words. "Eager to get back to our girl, I see."

"Understatement," I said, chuckling at my own neediness.

"That's cool man," Ben said, picking up a menu. "Angie and I are the same way when we're apart. We spent four years of college doing the long distance thing. It sucks."

"Yeah. I can't imagine. I'm not sure I'd survive," I confessed honesty.

"What can I get you guys?" the nasal voice of our waitress interrupted us. Angela looked amused about something as I gestured for her to order first.

Over dinner we talked though everything and I couldn't believe how easy things seemed to be working out. They were excited to move to a bigger place and the money they'd be getting would help them a lot. She'd been working her second job here at the Lodge for a couple of years now so they could save money for a house of their own. She had stopped just after Christmas because she was getting close to her due date. She was excited they could afford for her to quit altogether. We agreed on a salary; I had to talk them into the amount I had in mind, both of them thought I was being too generous. I wasn't really. I'd have to pay that or more to have a management company come in.

After dinner we drove over to the house and I showed them around. I assured them that the piano and other music equipment was being picked up by the movers in the morning. The rest of the furniture I offered to move to the other house, but they were willing to take the place furnished, which made my life easier. Apparently their furniture was mostly hand me downs from their families so they weren't attached to much of it.

"Alright then," I said, dropping a set of keys into Angela's waiting hand. "I'll see you tomorrow Ben, and I can show you around the rest of the property. I'm so happy this worked out so well."

"Thank you Edward." Ben said. "This is going to change our lives. I can't even tell you what this will mean for us."

"No, thank you guys. I can't tell you what it means knowing the property is in good hands," I said. "Not to mention when Bella and I visit, she'll be thrilled to be so close to you guys." I gestured toward the main house. It might be a while before we came back; hopefully I was over my aversion to staying in the other building by then.

"Goodnight, Edward," Angela said, pulling me into a slightly awkward hug; her belly was seriously large. "Thank you so much. I'm so glad that Bella has you. She deserves happiness more than anyone I know and something tells me you'll help her find it."

After they left I rushed to call Bella. It was late back on the east coast and I wanted to catch her before she went to bed.

She picked up on the second ring, sounding groggy, "Hello?"

"Hey, baby. I'm sorry I woke you. Why don't you call me in the morning."

"No, no," she said, sounding slightly more alert. "I'm up." She sighed sweetly and I could picture her snuggled up in her bed looking adorably mussed.

"I miss you," she said breathlessly.

"I miss you too, Love. So much."

"Did you meet with Ben and Ange?" she asked.

"Yeah, everything's arranged. He and his brothers are gonna move things in this weekend, but they're keeping most of my furniture so it shouldn't be too bad of a move. Angela sends her love and demanded that you come visit as soon as you can so she can introduce you to Baby Cheney."

She giggled. "I hope it won't be too long before I get to meet him, but it might be a few months at least."

"How was your day? Did you get Dr. Hunter to calm down after the server crashed?" I asked. She'd been in a state of utter irritation when I spoke to her this morning, not because the server in her lab went down, but rather because her boss was in a mad panic about it. Apparently he had anxiety issues.

"Yeah, once I got him to understand the backup system he calmed down. His first impulse in any crisis is total freak out. I'm not sure who thought it would be good to make him manager of a lab," she mused. "So your sister demanded that Rose and I spend Friday and Saturday at your place. She wants to do a fitting with each of us and we both have most of the weekend off."

"So you'll be sleeping in my bed by Friday?" I asked, loving the idea of her being there while we were apart, even if only for a night.

"Yeah, unless you'd rather I slept downstairs with Alice," she offered uncertainly.

"Um, no way," I replied. "You belong in my bed, baby." She belonged with me, but this would have to do for now.

"Mmmkay," she muttered sleepily.

"I'll let you go baby. You must be wiped after your day."

"No, I wanna talk to you. I miss you," she whined sweetly.

"I miss you too, Love, but you can call me in the morning. I'll be up pretty early. I'm fairly motivated to get myself back now that I know there'll be a beautiful, naked women waiting for me in my bed."

"Naked? I never said I'd be naked," she questioned playfully.

"Baby, you know that's the dress code for my bed. Haven't you noticed yet?"

She giggled, "You know I never really thought about it, but we don't ever seem to have clothes on in bed, yours or mine. Hmmm…I guess it is our dress code for beds in general," she mused. I heard her yawn and then groan in pain.

"What's wrong, Bella? Are you hurt?"

"Calm down, babe, I'm fine," she soothed. I may have sounded slightly frantic at the idea of her being injured. "I just overdid it at the gym with Rose tonight."

"Oh, training up to kick major ass?" I asked.

"You know it." She answered. Apparently Bella and Rose had been doing some kind of martial arts class since they moved out East. Rose said it would be empowering and Bella agreed. She said she never wanted to feel powerless to someone like Jacob again. My girl was fucking badass and I loved it.

"Get some rest and heal your sore muscles." I said. "I'll call when I wake up, okay?"

"Alright," she said reluctantly. "love you-" The end of her sentence stretched into a yawn.

"I love you too baby. Good night."

"Night," she breathed out, already beginning to surrender herself to sleep.

~oo0O0oo~

The next few days passed in a blur of packing, cleaning and directing the movers. My piano and music gear had been carefully packed up and sent off with a super expensive shipping agent, but they were supposed to be the best at this type of move and they guaranteed the full value of my equipment. I had met with Ben once more to show him around the rest of the property. He was a really nice, mellow guy and I was glad that I got along so well with Bella's friends.

It was Thursday morning and I was making one last trip into town. I'd run out of packing supplies so I was heading to the hardware store to restock. I only had one more room to clean out before I headed to Seattle tonight. As I entered the small shop in the center of town, I found myself staring straight into the ugly mug of the Asshole. He was at the counter with a wide fake grin on his face chatting up the salesgirl. She looked thoroughly flattered by his attention. He spared me a brief, fleeting glance before renewing his flirtation.

I stepped down the first aisle just to get as far away from him as possible. I didn't trust myself not to deck the prick. I hurried to find everything I needed, trying to ignore his douchey laugh as it echoed around the nearly vacant shop. Hunting for tape, I neared the front of the shop again and found Jacob with his tongue shoved down the girl's throat. I mean, it looked like he was trying to eat her face. That shit was disgusting. She must have liked it because she moaned like a pornstar and started grinding herself against him. I wondered if they'd forgotten I was in the store. I gathered up the last couple of things I needed and dropped them into my basket loudly. She started and had the decency to look embarrassed as I approached the counter. Asshole on the other hand, looked smug as fuck as he groped the girl's ass once more before tuning to leave.

"Later babe," he called out without looking back as he exited the store.

I placed my things on the counter and waited for the clerk to get herself together enough to ring me out. She looked kind of dazed as she wound her finger lazily around a lock of her bleached blond hair. After thirty seconds of her staring off into space I cleared my throat loudly to get her attention. This seemed to do the trick and she was able to complete the transaction without incident. As she finished bagging up my things, I couldn't help but feel sorry for this girl. She looked young and naïve. She probably thought Jacob really cared for her. I couldn't help but wonder if he would get violent with her like he did with Bella. I wanted to warn her, but it would just come off as creepy and weird. After all, I was a stranger and much older than both of them. So I thanked her as I grabbed my things and left the shop without saying anything else. I'd have to ask Bella what she thought about this; maybe she would warn the girl. Leah certainly wouldn't listen to her, but maybe his girl on the side would.

 **BPOV**

"Ali, I don't know. It's a little sheer. Don't you think?" I asked, trying not to sound petulant. But you could see my fucking nips through this thing and I was so not comfortable with that.

"Don't worry silly. I'm working on the cami that goes under it," she said, easing my concern. She pinned the hem of the shorts, making them much shorter than I would like, but I held in my complaints. She'd already compromised on the dress she wanted me to wear, making the neckline plunge a bit less scandalously low. I mean you could practically see my navel in that thing!

"Thanks Ali."

"No prob!" It was Friday night and I'd been standing here for hours while Alice perfected her designs. Rose would be here soon. She'd had to TA a late class, but she actually sounded excited to hang out here tonight. I could tell she really like Alice and she could see how much her brother cared for her already. Neither of us had ever seen Jasper act like this with a girl before. It was so sweet how he was wooing her. He sent her flowers and little love notes. I heard him in his room earlier in the week working on a song about his 'magic pixie girl'. It sounded like a play on the whole magic pixie dream girl trope; it was sweet and cute and funny all at the same time. Ali was going to love it.

"Stay here for just a sec, okay? I have to run up to my room and get the blue silk I bought for your cami today. It's so pretty! You're gonna love it! Oh and the matching lace is to die for!" she giggled and skipped out of the room. Ali had Taylor Swift playing loudly on the sound system in her studio. I found that she loved pop and EDM, which weren't really my thing, but we overlapped a bit here and there. I could enjoy some angry girl breakup music as much as the next girl.

I heard something bang from the hall and wondered if Ali had tripped.

"Are you okay?" I shouted over my shoulder toward the door without turning. I didn't want to upset the pleats she'd pinned by moving around more than necessary.

I heard a deep groan from behind me followed by a low voice in my ear saying, "Oh I'm more than okay, now baby." I turned, gasping as I found a monster of a man standing way too close to me. If I hadn't seen enough pictures to recognize him instantly, I might have been truly scared. But the arrogant grin on his dimpled face reminded me too much of my Edward for me to doubt who he was.

"Fuck, you're hot. You must be one of Ali's models," Emmett said, reaching out as if to touch my ass. I stepped away lithely, just out of his grasp.

"Feisty. I like it," he bit his lower lip in a way that I was sure he meant to be sexy, but to me he just looked ridiculous. "Hi baby, I'm Emmett. I think you and I are going to get well acquainted this weekend." He reached for my hand. I decided to humor him a bit; it seemed like too much fun to pass up. Edward had told me about his womanizing ways. It seemed Emmett was a fuck and duck kind of dude.

"Bella," I responded as he took my small hand in his giant one.

"Why yes you are." His tone was beyond suggestive. It was bordering on creeptastic. "So Bella," he said, his eyes darting down to my chest, causing me to remember how revealing my top was. His eyes remained on my chest as he spoke, but instead of making me feel self-conscious, it only made me feel emboldened. I wasn't going to let this fucker make me feel uncomfortable. "are you just about done here? I could show you around the rest of the house. There are so many rooms here, I'm sure I can have you screaming out my name in all of them before the weekend is through."

Wow. Did this shit work for him? Something about his cocky attitude made me think it did.

"Well, that's quite the offer, but I only scream out one man's name and it sure isn't yours," I said. "So thanks, but no thanks."

He looked un-phased by my comment as he moved into my personal space. "Whatever, your man's not here now, he'll never know." He reached up to touch my shoulder, but I backed away from him again. "Come on, baby. I can tell you want me. I can tell you need a little Cullen in you. No one needs to know."

I couldn't help the laugh that escaped my lips. "Oh, I've had plenty of Cullen in me, Emmett, but there was nothin' little about it." I said with a smug grin.

He looked thoroughly confused for a minute. "What the fuck are you talking about? And there's nothing little about me! I mean look at me!" he waved his hand down his body as if that was all the explanation needed. Idiot. Jacob was a huge dude with a tiny dick. The size of a man didn't necessarily mean anything.

I just laughed at his confusion which only made him more pissed off. This was so much fun.

"I'm sorry that took me so long," Alice said as she entered the room. Her head was down and she was frowning at her tablet as she scanned through something on it. "I just got a message that the photographer can't make our first date work, so we'll have to find another day that works for you and Rose."

"Hiya sis!" Emmett boomed far too close to me, causing me to rub my ear. Ali's head snapped up at the sound. "Who the hell is this chick? And what the hell other Cullen has she fucked? There aren't really that many of us left…" I could practically see a lightbulb lighting over his head as realization dawned on who I'd meant. "NO FUCKING WAY!" he shouted.

Ali just looked on in amusement. I raised a bitchy brow and gave a nonchalant shrug in response.

"No fucking way is Eddie boy banging a hot young thing like you!" he said incredulously as he stared at my chest again. He turned to Ali and asked, "What the fuck happened to that Becca chick?"

Who the hell was Becca?

"Who's Becca?" Ali asked, sounding as confused as I was.

"You know, that nerdy chick he met in Washington." He spoke to Alice like she was mentally challenged, which was sort of hilarious in the moment. Ali and I exchanged amused grins as he continued. "Some science or math geek or something. He hooked up with her over Christmas and refused to come party with me in New York. If she was so fuckin special why is he bangin' this chick?"

He had thrust his finger at me for emphasis and I had to resist the urge to flick him in the face in response. Instead I started to giggle uncontrollably and before long Alice had joined me. We both doubled over from laughter. Tears were streaming down my face I was laughing so hard.

"Oh. My. God." Ali gasped out when she could speak again. "I wish I had recorded that! That was fucking priceless!"

"WHAT THE HELL IS SO FUCKING FUNNY!" Emmett shouted, sending Ali and I into a new fit of giggles.

"Fuck this shit!" Emmett said, storming toward the door. I wanted to clue him in, but I really couldn't stop laughing. I heard the doorbell ring just as I heard heavy footsteps stomping up the stairs. I made my way toward the door to let Rose in, but I still couldn't calm my laughter. She looked at me like I was a little nuts when I opened the door, but then I watched as her eyes looked up over my shoulder toward the stairs. There was a flash of something in her eyes, but it was gone so quickly I couldn't be sure what it was. I turned and saw Emmett staring down at us from the stairs. His face was flushed with irritation.

I wiped my cheeks, clearing my joyful tears as my giggles finally subsided. "Rose, this is Edward's brother Emmett. Emmett this is my good friend Rose." She didn't say anything, only nodding in acknowledgment. He looked wary, but it was impossible to ignore the way his gaze slid down her body and back up again.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Rose," he said suggestively. I just rolled my eyes at how interchangeable we all were to him. Turning back toward my friend, I saw a hard wall come down inside her. I knew that look. Nothing and no one would convince Rose to give a man like Emmett a chance, but that look meant that she was on the defensive. She already distrusted him. He'd better be careful or he'd find himself on the wrong end of her shit list.

I hitched my elbow around Rose's and pulled her toward the studio, shutting the door behind us.

"Emmett was just telling Ali and me about Edward's last conquest," I said causing Rose to look at me with concern. My answering smile relaxed her instantly. "Apparently, she was some nerdy girl from Washington named Becca, some science geek. Did I get that right Em?"

A sweet, musical giggle, that was entirely uncharacteristic of her, bubbled up from Rose. She set me off again and Ali joined us, coming out from her studio. Soon we were all sitting on the floor laughing at a confounded Emmett who looked beyond irritated.

"You bitches are crazy in this house!" he shouted over our laughter.

Rose's laughter abruptly stopped and she narrowed her eyes at him. Reaching into her bag she swiftly pulled out something and chucked it at him. A book hit him in the forehead with a loud thud. Thank god it was a paperback.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" Emmett cried out. All the laugher in the room had ceased leaving behind a cold tension that made me shiver against the cold door my back was pressed against.

"Never. Call. Me. A. Bitch. Again." Rose seethed.

"Well, if the name fits…" Emmett responded, rubbing his forehead as he winced in pain. "Fucking crazy bitch, throwin' a book at my head," he muttered.

The look on Rose's face was absolutely murderous. It was official; Emmett had usurped Rose's parents for the top spot on her shit list. Little did he know his life was about to get very unpleasant. I had a feeling Rose's pranks against Emmett wouldn't be as harmless as her usual antics.

The three of us got up and headed back to the studio, leaving Emmett sitting on the stairs with that moronic, cocky expression on his face, too stupid to be afraid of what was coming for him.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hi there Lovelies. Thanks for all the love, follows, and favs! I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's got a bit of everything: some drama, some citrus, some lighter stuff : )**

 **Obvs. : I don't own twilight or its characters, but I do own this little plot.**

 **BPOV**

"Oh thank god! I was afraid I'd never find my way down here," Rose grumbled as she entered the kitchen. "This place is huge! I did find a really cool gallery room near the back garden. They have a fucking Picasso back there! Did you know that?"

"Yeah. Edward's mother was really into collecting art," I said as I flipped the pancakes on the griddle in front of me. "There's fresh coffee in the pot over there." I pointed across the counter toward the coffee bar.

"Thanks! This is awesome," she said pouring herself a cup. "Any sign of Alice or prince dumbass?"

I chuckled at her nickname for Emmett. "Not yet. I have a feeling we won't be seeing too much of him. He thinks we're all nuts." I plated up a stack of pancakes and added a couple of sausage links before handing the plate to Rose.

"Oh thank you! This looks so good. Are they blueberry?" she asked before sinking her fork into the tower of steaming pancakes.

"Yup and there are plenty so don't be shy. There's syrup over there if you want any."

"So are we going to let Jackass Cullen know that you're Becca or do we want to let him stew in his confusion a while longer?" she asked between bites.

"I'm not overly concerned about it," I answered, stacking some pancakes up on a plate for Alice, who was shuffling in looking the worse for wear. I pushed the plate across the counter for her and watched as she fixed herself a cup of coffee and took a healthy sip. Rose and I exchanged a glance; she'd never experienced zombie Alice because she only appeared in the morning apparently.

"So Ali, we were just discussing your less charming brother and if we should enlighten him about the whole Bella/Becca debacle," Rose said brightly.

Ali just grunted as she sipped her steaming mug.

"Don't bother Rose. She'll be useless until she finishes that," I said gesturing toward her coffee.

"Huh. She's in some kind of dormant state…weird," she shrugged, returning to her food.

"I figured you'd already be well into orchestrating some grand revenge scheme against Emmett," I said, joining the others at the counter with my plate of food.

"Yeah, I have some ideas, but nothing I've come up with is really _enough_ just yet. I need a proportional response and I've never honestly wanted to cause anyone pain like I want to cause that man pain," she reflected.

Ali seemed to be coming out of her morning haze; she slowly put her nearly empty mug down on the counter and started to attack her pancakes. Soft moans spilled from her as she chewed. I couldn't help, but watch her out of the corner of my eye. She was highly entertaining in the mornings.

"So, what's all this about a revenge plot against Emmett?" Ali asked suddenly, causing Rose to choke slightly on her sip of coffee. "I want in!"

After finishing my bite of food I answered, "You don't know this about Rose just yet, but you never want to get on her shit list. She'll punish you cruelly."

"God you're totally absurd. I do not have a 'shit list' and I do not 'punish' people. I merely seek to teach people lessons. I'm like Matilda*."

I snorted out a soft laugh. "You don't have magical powers, though you are insanely intelligent like Matilda."

"I have the super power of dispensing justice perfectly. It's a gift," she said smugly.

"Wait, I don't understand. What kind of justice?" Alice asked with her brow furrowed. "What do you do to punish people?"

"I don't punish people. I teach lessons! Like Matilda!" Rose exclaimed, throwing up her hands in exasperation.

I rolled my eyes at her redundant declaration. "Rose is like the goddess of pranks," I explained. "Ask Jasper. He's been on the receiving end more than anyone else. The punishment is usually proportional to the offense, according to Rose.

"I don't think that's always true. Like that time you put glitter into his window air conditioning unit. Everything in his room was covered for months. I still find glitter in his room sometimes. Why did you do that again?" I asked knowing full well what the answer was.

Rose smiled diabolically, "He drank all of my coffee for the millionth time without replacing it. He knows I'm a cranky bitch without my proper caffeine dosage. He really should have known better."

Ali started giggling. "What else have you done to him?"

"Oh, just little things mostly," Rose shrugged with false nonchalance.

"I loved the time you hacked their mixing board to pitch Jaspers voice super high during their show at that artist's coop. He sounded like a chipmunk!" I laughed at the memory. He had been so pissed. The rest of the band had called him Alvin for months.

"Oh that was fun. That's when he forgot my birthday. Good times," Rose mused.

"So you're more like that movie Amelie** than Matilda, really. She was full of well justified mischief," Ali decided.

"I like that. I could totally be Amelie, though Bella looks more the part with her big doe eyes and dark brown hair," Rose chuckled. "I'm more like a cynical, blond Amelie."

"Damn, it smells good in here!" Emmett's voice boomed loudly into the room. "Something good about being in a house full of chicks. One of 'em's bound to be a decent cook."

Emmett made his way further into the kitchen wearing low slung gym shorts and no shirt. I had to admit, he was attractive, a bit muscular for my tastes, but most people would consider him to be hot. And he was clearly well aware of it; his walk across the room was full swag.

"Where's all the food?" he cried as he looked over the counter.

"Crazy bitches always eating up all the food they make," Rose said in her best imitation dude voice. Ali and I cracked up immediately at his dumbfounded expression.

"There's some cereal in the cupboard." Ali said helpfully with a giant, sweet smile.

"Why do you all get pancakes and sausage and I get fucking cereal?" he whined, sounding more like a five year old than the huge adult dude that he was.

"Well, if you had joined us earlier, we would have given you some." Rose said. "You snooze, you lose."

"This is bullshit!" he cried.

Just then my phone vibrated in my pocket and I escaped to the hall to answer it. I could see already that this conversation was headed nowhere good. I was happy to have a reason to extract myself.

I was hoping it was Edward calling, but was only slightly disappointed to find Ange's picture lighting up my screen.

"Hey Sweetie!" she greeted me.

"Hi! How are you feeling, Hot Mama?" I asked.

"Good. Just SO ready to pop."

"Just two weeks left," I tried to comfort her, but I was sure she was sick of hearing it.

"So people keep saying, but I'd be more than happy to do this now. This kid is feakin' huge. He's making me tired and uncomfortable and useless!" she exclaimed.

"Oh sweetie! You are not useless. I know it sucks, but you're in the home stretch now. You got this."

"Thanks, B. I needed to hear that," she sighed.

"So how are things going with the move?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, so well. We're nearly done with the big stuff. I say we, but no one lets me lift a finger. I'm more of a supervisor at this point. Which isn't so bad." She laughed. "Thank you so much for suggesting us to Edward. The house is so adorable and this is going to make such a difference in our lives." I could hear the emotion in her voice.

"Oh Ange, I'm so glad it worked out. He needed someone he could trust. This works out for him too," I explained.

"He's so great, Bella. I'm so happy you guys found each other."

"He is pretty great, isn't he?" I agreed.

"Yeah, he and Ben were getting along so well by the end of dinner. You know how shy Ben can be so I was glad they felt comfortable together," she said. "Oh and the best part of dinner, I totally forgot to tell you!"

"What?" I asked, intrigued at her excitement.

"So Jess Stanley took over my shifts at the Lodge and she was our waitress that night. She kept shoving her new tits in Edward's face all night, I swear that girl is slowly morphing into Lauren 2.0. But anyway, your man was completely oblivious to her efforts or her cleavage. He didn't look up at her once, which infuriated her so she went back to flirting with Mike. No matter how many times those two cheat on each other, they still find themselves back together. Forks drama, who needs tv?"

"Wow, Jess got her tits done?" I asked.

"That's all you got from what I just said?" she exclaimed.

"Well, it is good to hear, but I highly doubt that if that man hasn't noticed her in the last seven years, her new tits would be enough to draw his attention to her," I said, loving how much I trusted my boyfriend. It was amazing that I already felt so secure in what we had together, but it was hard not to believe him when he told me or showed me, every minute we spent together, how much I meant to him.

"I'm glad you found yourself a good one, B. You deserve it after everything you've been through," she said.

"Thanks Angie."

We talked for a while more about everything and nothing. She was super bored, practically on bedrest at this point in her pregnancy. We said our goodbyes and Ange promised to get me word right away of any baby news. Just as I was hanging up the phone, I saw Rose walk by with a smug, mischievous gleam in her eye. She held a smart phone in her hand that was encased in dark brown leather. Seeing me sitting on the sofa she raised the phone up and waved it at me with a huge grin on her face. I was about to ask what the hell she was so excited about when she put a finger to her lips to silence me. She hurried up the stairs with a light spring in her step. I was guessing Emmett would soon regret not keeping better tabs on his phone.

 **EPOV**

"God dammit!" I shouted at the traffic in front of me. We'd been sitting in the same spot for what felt like an eternity. It had probably only been fifteen minutes or so, but it was long enough that I was beginning to worry about missing my flight. I pounded my fist on the steering wheel of my rental car, as if that would help anything. I never thought I'd have to worry about traffic this time of night, but there was some type of roadwork going on. If I missed this flight I'd have to wait until morning to catch another one, and I was already pissed that I'd have to make a stop in New York before heading home to Bella.

Vicki had called me late last night to inform me that the producer and director of my upcoming project were insisting on an in person meeting before they signed a contract. Apparently the last composer had left them in the lurch after a massive dispute involving 'creative differences' and they were currently engaged in a costly breach of contract lawsuit with him. Understandably, they were a bit skittish about working with someone new. I'd reluctantly agreed and changed my flight to take a detour to New York for the day. I breathed out a sigh of relief as the cars in front of me started to move again. Things were moving slowly, but at least they were moving.

By some miracle, I fell into my seat in first class at the last possible moment. They seemed to be holding the flight for me since I'd checked in and was fast-tracked through security. As soon as we were in the air I ordered myself a jack and coke from the overly friendly flight attendant and downed it before leaning back in my seat and attempting to sleep.

My mind was buzzing from the whirlwind of activity in the last couple of days. I'd barely had time to speak to Bella and it was fucking killing me. We'd exchanged texts, but had only had two short, tired conversations in the last two days. I had gleaned enough from these brief talks to know that Emmett had arrived at the house and had made quite an impression on Bella and Rose. She wouldn't say exactly what had happened, falling into a fit of giggles when I asked if he was behaving himself. She said something about Rose teaching him lessons and Matilda, whoever that was, one of the other models probably.

I was too tired to sort out this shit now. In the last two days I'd suffered through long ass meetings with my lawyers, financial advisors and the manager of our charitable trust. I wanted to take a more active role in the trust and wanted to consider expanding the scope of the work we did. I had also needed to finish up some business at the bank in Seattle before I headed back east. All in all, the last couple of days had been dull as fuck and finding out last night that I would not be climbing into bed with a sleepy, naked Bella late tonight, that change in my schedule had nearly sent me over the edge of sanity. Catching my flight at the last minute had meant that there was no time to call or text Bella before I left and that sucked beyond measure.

Somewhere in my deep well of self-pity, I found myself in an uncomfortable sleep. I awoke several hours later with a painful crick in my neck. The brightening cabin was beginning to buzz with the quiet stirring of morning activity. People were starting to wake up and bustle about as the red eye flight neared JFK. I peered down at my phone to see that it was nearly six. We'd be landing in a little under an hour. I wondered, not for the first time, how early was too early to call Bella. Sunday mornings seemed to hold the unspoken rule of not disturbing people before nine at the absolute earliest, but I was desperate to hear her raspy morning voice. It was sexy as fuck and six days without her had me in full out withdrawal.

By seven-fifteen I found myself in a hired car speeding toward Victoria's office. She'd offered to meet me there and let me freshen up before our breakfast meeting. I had booked a flight to Boston late this afternoon and Bella had promised to stay the night at my place. I honestly didn't know how I was going to make it twelve more hours before seeing her.

My phone buzzed in my pocket and my stomach flipped slightly at the thought of hearing my girl's voice. I was gravely disappointed to be met with a far more irritating sound when I answered.

"Dude! Fuckin finally! I've been calling you all night!" Emmett's obnoxious voice boomed out of the phone. "Where the fuck are ya? This place is drowning in crazy bitches and I'm starting to think I'm cursed or somethin'! All sorts of fucked up shit keeps happenin' to me!" My brother was all out whining. I was about to tell him to calm down when one part of his rant sunk into my tired brain.

"What do you mean you've been calling me all night? It's past seven in the morning." I asked, not really surprised at his schedule. "Have you slept at all yet? What the hell are you doing?"

"Shut it, old man! I'll sleep later, when the crazy crew leaves the premises," he chuckled humorlessly. "Your new broad's a piece of work, but her hot model friend is even nuttier. I'm proud of you bro! Even if your girl is crazy, she's fuckin' young and smokin'. What is she like nineteen?

"Isn't it awesome hookin' up with models? 'Cause they're always surrounded by other hot chicks. Always something to look forward to."

Damn, he was disgusting. And confused. He seemed to think Bella was a professional model. I wondered why he hadn't figured out that she was just helping Ali out. I chose to be cautious and keep my mouth shut. Something told me, from the ridiculous crap coming out of his douchey mouth, that he might be on the receiving end of one of Rosalie Hale's great life lessons. And who was I to interfere with brilliance like that?

"Wow, Em. You sound like an asshole. Leave the girls alone. They're all helping Ali out. She'll be pissed if you scare them away," I lectured, but I couldn't hold back my disappointment in him if I tried. "And leave Bella the fuck alone! She's important to me and I won't have you harassing her. I will fuck you up if you do anything to hurt her or make her feel cheap. When I get back there, you and I are going to be having a serious talk about how you treat women."

"God! You are so freakin' holier than thou. Why do you give a shit all of a sudden how I act?" he shouted. The anger in his voice was hardly surprising, but I had a feeling he'd be even more pissed when I confronted him in person, because I was holding a lot back at the moment. "You've been off livin' in the wild for like a decade and now you decide you give a shit about me? Please. It's a bit late to try to pull some older brother crap don't you think?"

"Listen, Emmett. I know I fucked up. I was in a real bad place after Mom died, but I know I let you and Ali down. I should have gotten some help. I should have pulled my shit together, but I've started to now and I'm not going to keep my mouth shut when I see you spiraling out of control like this. Don't you want to be someone you can be proud of, someone our parents would have been proud of?"

"Fuck you Edward!" he screamed into the phone. "There is nothing wrong with my life. You're the one who's been wallowing in fuckin self-pity for the last seven years. At least I'm living my life instead of cowering in the corner like a pussy!"

I heard the call disconnect abruptly just as the driver informed me that we'd arrived at Vicki's office. I wanted to be pissed at Emmett, but there was so much truth in what he said. Bella kept trying to get me to see that my depression had been crippling and that I really needed help after Mom's death. I knew she was right, but it didn't take away the guilt of leaving my siblings without the only adult support they had left. I fucked up and it would take more than hugging it out to fix shit with Emmett. Ali was ready to forgive me, Emmett may never be.

~oo0O0oo~

"Edward! It's so good to see you!" Vicki gushed. She stared me down over the brim of her chunky teal-framed glasses. "You look good. I never thought you'd be working with me again. I can't tell you how pleased I am to have you back." She grasped my arm, pulling me forcefully into her office. "Now tell me, what or should I say who has put that spark in your eye? Hmm?" She gave me a mischievous, knowing grin. She'd always been able to ready me well. Vicki had been a good friend to me over the years, always patient and never demanding of me. She was my friend first and my agent second, which was a rarity in this business.

"Her name's Bella," I confessed. "We've been together about a month. You'll love her, Vick. She's…well she's like no one I've ever met."

"Well, I can't wait to meet the woman then. Any girl who is capable of getting you writing again must be a force to be reckoned with," she laughed airily, but there was truth in her words.

An hour later Vicki and I were ushered into a posh little restaurant uptown. Waiting for us at a table near a wide bank of windows were two older men who had their heads bent over some documents resting on the table. Their heads were close together and they were arguing passionately but quietly about something on the pages in front of them. As we approached the man on the left looked up and smiled, lightly smacking his colleague on the arm to get his attention.

"Aro, Caius, this is Edward Cullen. Edward, Aro Volturi, executive producer and his brother Caius Volturi, director." Vicki was an expert at introductions, immediately alleviating any awkwardness. She guided the conversation gently, but firmly, keeping us on track. The meeting was productive and we all got along well. The brothers were working on their third film together. I'd heard of their work, but being a bit out of the main stream lately, I had only watched their films after I learned of the project with them. They made satirical comedies with a dark edge that had a distinctly European sensibility. I was actually surprised that they'd done so well in the mainstream U.S. market, but their work had been both financially and critically successful.

We sorted out schedules and had a long, engaging discussion about Caius' creative vision. He'd heard my work and was confident that we'd find common ground. All in all, I left the meeting feeling good about the project and optimistic that we could work well together.

I tried to call Bella on the way out of the meeting, to let her know I was catching an earlier flight, but her phone went straight to voicemail. Deciding to surprise her I sent off a quick text letting her know I'd be busy for the next few hours and that I loved her before hopping in a car to the airport.

 **BPOV**

My head was pounding. Why had I let Rose talk me into Tequila shots last night? And a fucking drinking game. What the hell was I thinking? I tried to roll over, but I found myself pinned down by something. I cracked open my eyes and tried to make sense of my surroundings. Instead of Edward's room I was in some other bedroom that I didn't recognize. My hand slid tentatively over the object that was holding me down and I quickly determined it to be an arm. Where the hell was I and who was sleeping in bed next to me? My heart pounded along with my head as I craned my neck to see who was buried in the blankets next to me.

I heaved out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding at the sight of Rose's drool covered face. She was a sloppy drunk and she always got handsy when we crossed the line from tipsy to wasted, which explained why one of her hands was on my boob. I carefully extracted myself from her rather impressive grip and rolled inelegantly off the bed with a thump. Rose grunted and turned over, but didn't wake. I quietly exited the room and tiptoed down the hall toward the stairs. I needed a shower and then at least a few more hours of sleep. I didn't drink like that often and I needed serious recovery time after.

As I neared the bottom of the stairs, I heard shouting coming from one of the closed doors. I couldn't really make out more than a few curses, but I recognized Emmett's angry voice. Besides being a total ass, he was clearly dealing with a tremendous amount of anger. It made me wonder how much of his carefree, ne're-do-well persona was purely self-protective. I couldn't help but feel some sympathy for Emmett, despite the stupid shit that just kept coming out of his mouth. I couldn't help but hope there might be a half-decent person hidden under all that anger and idiocy.

I awoke several hours later to the feel of strong, familiar arms wrapping around my naked body. I'd showered earlier after coming up from Rose's room and I hadn't had the energy to dress again before I slipped into Edward's bed and immediately succumbed to sleep. I cracked my eyes and turned my head, the very similar scene early this morning fresh in my mind. This time however, I was met with brilliant green eyes and my favorite sleepy smile.

"You're here." I rasped, not the sexiest of sounds.

"I am," he answered, leaning in for a soft, loving kiss. Mmmm. I'd missed the taste of his lips. "You've been sleeping a long time. I've been trying to be good, but it's really fucking hard when you're all rumpled and naked in my bed."

"It sure is," I teased, pushing my bare ass back against his prominent erection. "But why were you trying to be good? You should have woken me; I always like being woken up by you."

"You looked so tired, Love," he said brushing my hair from my face where it was stuck. Going to sleep with wet hair had some major drawbacks. "It's nearly three in the afternoon. Why are you so wiped out?"

"Four words: Rose, Tequila, and I Never," I answered.

"Okay, I understood the first part, what's 'I never' mean though?" he asked.

"It's a drinking game, which is absolutely no fun to play with someone who knows everything about you. Especially if that someone is Rose and she's trying to get you drunk."

"Why was she trying to get you drunk?" he asked, laying soft kisses on my head.

"I may have been whiny and mopey about you staying an extra day," I confessed. "She has no patience for that shit and she wanted to cheer me up…or shut me up. Same difference. I woke up in her room at the crack of dawn with a splitting headache and her hand gripped tightly around my boob."

"Um, what? Why was she grabbing your boob?" He sounded more amused than upset, which was a relief.

"Oh Rose gets all gropey when she's really drunk," I explained. "She once tried to convince me to let her fondle my tits in the bathroom of a club we were hanging out at. She pouted like a three year old until I got her home and in bed. When we go out one of us always stays fairly sober because she would likely get arrested otherwise."

"Wow, so is Rose a lesbian?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious and not jealous like I had feared.

"No, but I think she's a little bi-curious. I think she tried fooling around with Mags a couple of times," I explained, his eybrows shot up at that, but he remained quiet so I continued. "but she likes dudes, even if she's extremely picky about who she deems worthy."

"Mags…as in Maggie from Jasper's band?" he asked.

"Yeah, she's a lesbian. She used to be single, but she's got some hot girlfriend named Siobhan now. They met a couple of months ago, seems serious." I shrugged. I didn't know Maggie that well. Rose was closer with her, obviously, but we all hung out occasionally.

Edward's face got serious and his eyes looked slightly pained. "Was Emmett horrible to you guys? If I'd have known he was going to show up I would have put off my trip."

"No you wouldn't have; you needed to go out there," I replied. "And yes he was horrible…" I hesitated, unsure of how brutally honest I should be.

Anger flashed in Edward's eyes, "What did he do? Did he do something to you? To Rose? I will kick him the fuck out if he hurt you in any way?"

"Babe, calm down, please. I'll tell you everything, but you need to listen calmly or I will wait until you can."

I raised a brow at him and he nodded. His eyes were still hard, but he looked much more in control.

"Well, when he got here I was in a fitting with Ali," I started. As I explained how our first meeting went I saw a dark shadow cross Edward's beautiful face. How he could be so beautiful and so scary at the same time was beyond me. I think it was only the need to hear the end of my story that kept him in bed with me and not rushing down the stairs to confront his brother. He muttered an occasional curse as I spoke, but said little else.

"So after I explained…rather colorfully, that you and I were together," I edited slightly as I spoke. "He was shocked and then started to ask what happened to your other girlfriend?"

That got his attention, "What other girlfriend?" he said shocked. "Baby, there's no one else there's only you. You believe me, right? I don't know what the hell he's talking—" I cut him off with a kiss which rapidly grew into a fervent, heated kiss, but I slowed it down so I could explain.

"I know there's no one else, babe, don't worry. Nothing I'm going to tell you has any effect on us or our relationship. Just listen, okay? I think you'll like this next part." He looked completely skeptical at my last comment, but he nodded firmly once and gave me his attention.

"So he was going on and on about this geeky girl named Becca you'd met in Washington and—" Edward's loud laugh barked out so unexpectedly that I think he surprised even himself. I giggled at his response and continued, "Yup, some nerdy girl apparently held your heart and he couldn't believe you'd dropped her so quickly."

I went on to tell him the rest of the story about Rose arriving and us all laughing at Emmett's cluelessness and about him calling us all bitches. Edward growled at that revelation. I finally told him about Rose's plans for revenge and her thievery. I wasn't sure how that was all playing out just yet, but I didn't know if I wanted to be an accessory to whatever schemes she was hatching. She and Ali had been whispering conspiratorially a lot the last couple of days and I was pretty sure they had things well in hand.

"Wait…so he still doesn't know that you're the same girl?" Edward asked, chuckling lightly. I was glad the dark look that had shadowed his face earlier had been replaced with an amused grin.

"Nope. Not unless he's figured it out on his own," I answered. "I sort of doubt that though. He's been avoiding us all. I think he thinks we're all on drugs or something because we're all prone to fits of seemingly random laughter when he's around. He can never figure out why we're laughing at him so he just thinks we're nuts."

"Wow, that's awesome enough on its own. I won't get involved with Rose's plans, but I'll try to stay out of her way," he said thoughtfully. "We had quite the throw-down this morning and I don't want to make things worse by getting involved with her schemes." I couldn't help but think of Emmett's angry voice spilling out from behind his door this morning.

"What happened?" I couldn't keep myself from asking.

"He's pissed that I'm here, trying to parent him after all these years," he said sadly. "He's right, he has more than enough reason to be pissed at me, but I can't just watch him go down this path and not say anything. He's turning into such a prick; I can't ignore that." He was quiet for a moment before adding thoughtfully, "Maybe Rose will do him some good. Maybe she really can teach him a lesson as she said."

I giggled at that, despite the seriousness of the conversation. "Well, if anyone can, it'd be Rose."

The whole time we'd been talking his hands had been softly caressing my back, gliding up and down my spine sweetly, almost absent mindedly. A while ago we'd rolled so that we were facing each other and our legs were tangled together. Every touch had been affectionate, but nothing had been overly sexual so far because of the seriousness of our conversation.

Now, gazing at each other in silence, the atmosphere in the room shifted and the air was suddenly buzzing with tension.

"Baby, I missed you so fucking much," Edward said, his voice husky and quiet. "I need to be inside you soon. I need you."

I didn't answer him, instead I pulled on the back of his neck, bringing his lips down roughly to my own. His mouth moved over mine with a desperate hunger that lit a fire through me instantly. He gripped my hip tightly and pulled me hard against his body. His fingers found their way to down to my pussy, slipping against my lower lips, teasing my folds.

"God baby," he groaned. "you're so fucking wet. Always so fucking wet for me."

He worked his fingers over me as he kissed me roughly again. His tongue reclaiming my mouth.

"Now, Edward, stop fucking teasing me. I need you in me now, " I demanded. He responded immediately, pushing into me in one hard thrust, eliciting a deep moan from each of us.

"Fuuuuuuck!" he gritted out. "I missed your pussy so fucking much!"

He pushed me slightly and we rolled so that my back was flat against the bed with his hips cradled by my thighs. After a few hard, slow thrusts we both needed more. He pulled my legs up his body, resting my ankles on his shoulders as he thrust deeply into me.

"God, baby, I fuckin' love it when you grip me tightly like that," he rasped out. He turned his head and kissed my ankle sweetly before increasing the pace of his movements.

"YES!" I cried. "Fuck, babe, harder, please Edward! I need you to fuck me harder!"

His hips snapped forcefully against my own. Each powerful thrust bringing us both closer to the edge.

"God baby…can't hold out much…fuucck!" I could feel Edward start to pulse within me. I knew he was losing his battle holding off his climax.

"Yeesss!" I cried out, my muscles gripping his cock tightly as he moved within me. "I wanna feel you cum inside me!" I gasped.

His face contorted in pleasure and I felt him spill deeply within me. The feel of his taught body clutching me tightly and his cock pulsing inside me sent me shattering around him with a silent scream. Wave after wave of intense heat course through my body and I found myself gasping for air as I came down from my high. I may have forgotten to breathe for a while there.

We lay panting, his chest pressed against my own, his face nestled perfectly in the crook of my neck. I could feel his hot, labored breaths across the surface of my skin and I tightened my hold around his shoulders, needing him as close as possible still. He pulled back suddenly, causing my arms to loosen around him. His eyes were filled with concern and uncertainty, the exact opposite of how I was feeling at the moment

"What's wrong?" I asked, my voice hoarse and dry.

"I'm so sorry, Love," he whispered, confusing me more. His eyes darted back and forth from each of my own, searching for something. "I didn't mean to lose control like that, to be so rough with you. Are you okay?"

A giggle of relief bubbled up in me. Edward was just being his worrywart self. "I'm absolutely, blissfully, mind-blowingly satisfied, thank you very much," his face softened slightly, but I could tell he was still beating himself up for losing control.

I held his face between my hands and waited for his eyes to meet my own. "Stop it. Now," I admonished. "I love that you let yourself go like that. It's sexy as hell when you want me that badly. I want you that badly too. You didn't hurt me. If you ever do anything I don't like, I'll tell you immediately. I trust you completely and you should trust yourself more."

He looked away from me again, which I didn't like at all, but I gave him a moment to process what I'd said. When his eyes mine again his expression had turned loving and vulnerable.

"I just don't ever want you to feel unsafe or like you can't stop something. I can't help but get lost in this…in us. I just…"

"Hey. I get it," I soothed. "But you just have to trust me to tell you if I don't like something. You have to trust me enough to let go with me."

He nodded resignedly and kissed my lips softly.

"Let's shower and then go down for some food," he suggested.

"Sounds good," I said, yawning and stretching my sore muscles.

"You're still tired?" he asked incredulously. "You're not allowed to play drinking games with Rose anymore." He said playfully.

"Fair enough," I conceded. "I didn't want to play last night, but she always gets what she wants."

 **EPOV**

The house was eerily quiet when we descended to the first floor. Bella went toward the kitchen while I checked my sister's studio to see if she was in the house. I found her looking as unkempt as I'd ever seen her, wearing designer sweatpants and a bejeweled tank top. Her hair was a riot of uncontrolled spikes and dark makeup was smudged under her eyes. She looked so unlike my sister as she leaned over her work table that I was struck dumb momentarily. Finally finding my voice, I cleared my throat and she jumped a little at the sound.

"Hey Ali, fun night last night?" I teased.

She looked up at me scowling with tired eyes, "Yeah, I can't party with those two. They drank me under the table." She threw down her pencil with a frustrated huff. "Maggie, Kate and Irina are supposed to be here soon for their fitting and I still have a couple of things that I need to work out before they get here. Ugh! Stupid Rose left an hour ago looking fresh as a freakin' daisy! I mean that is really unfair."

I chuckled at her, probably the wrong reaction in the moment because she threw a wad of sparkly pink fabric at my head. "Sorry, sorry," I said holding my hands up in surrender. "Bella's making some food if you want to join us in the kitchen."

"Maybe. Let me see if I can figure this out real quick and then I'll be over," she said, picking up her pencil again and rubbing her temple with her fingers.

As I headed toward the kitchen the doorbell rang. I figured Ali's models had arrived so I pulled the door open to let them in and was shocked at the face staring back at me.

"Hello Edward," she said in a voice that I was sure she meant to be seductive, but only turned my stomach.

"Tanya," I answered curtly. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Well I heard through the grapevine that you were back in the area," she said with false innocence. Damn she was laying it on thick. Did I used to buy this shit? "I thought we could catch up, you know for old times' sake." She reached out to touch my arm, but I instinctively flinched away from the contact.

"Babe, do you want some food? I've got pretty much everything ready," Bella called from the kitchen. Something hateful flashed in Tanya's eyes, but I couldn't find it in me to care if she felt some sort of residual jealousy.

"I'll be right there, baby," I answered, not wanting Bella to come looking for me. I just wanted Tanya to leave. I turned to her to tell her just that, but she spoke before I could.

"Who's that? Your girlfriend?" she asked, thinly veiled venom in her voice.

"Yeah. You need to go now. I don't have anything to say to you," I said evenly as I started pushing the door closed. She leaned a bit forward, blocking my attempt to close the door.

"Get out of the way Tanya or I'll force you out of the way. We have nothing to say to each other," I seethed. I mean what the hell was she trying to gain here?

"Oh, I think we have plenty to say to each other," she said, returning to her sultry tone, her attempts at flirting falling short. "I know you miss me Edward. I can see it in your eyes. We have so much history together. We owe it to each other, to our pasts to at least talk things through."

"You've had seven fuckin years to get in touch with me. No thanks Tan. Now get the hell out of my house before I call the cops on you!" She started and blanched at my harsh tone.

"There's no need to get nasty, Edward. You always were such a drama queen," she huffed. Her eyes flitted behind me briefly, hardening further as they returned to my face. "Fine, I'm leaving. Get back to your little girlfriend. What is she, like twelve you pervert? Enjoy your pathetic midlife crisis while it lasts. Maybe you're the one the police would be interested in."

With that she turned and left. Slamming the door shut, I rested my forehead against the cool wooden surface. I felt warm arms snake around my waist and I heaved a deep sigh.

"How much did you hear?" I asked.

"Enough," she answered, leaving sweet kisses on my back. "She's an even bigger bitch than I'd imagined."

A fractured burst of laughter bubbled up from me. "Yeah, I think she's gotten worse than I remembered."

"Well she didn't look too happy when she saw me standing behind you. I imagine that's why she got so pissed at the end there," she said, laying her cheek against my back and tightening her hold on my waist.

I turned in her arms and pulled her snug against my chest. "I'm so sorry you had to see her baby. I have no idea how she even found out I was living here. I thought she was still living in New York. Last I heard she was getting married to that guy she worked with."

"Hey, babe," she said, placing her hands of my face and instantly calming my growing anxiety. "You didn't invite her here, you asked her to leave. She clearly didn't respect your wishes. I'm not upset with you. I am however pissed at her for putting you in this position. Someone clearly told her you were here, and I have my suspicions that someone told her you and I were together. She seemed entirely unsurprised by my appearance at the door.

"Kate!" I growled. It only made sense.

"Kate? Ali's friend. What does she have to do with it?" Bella asked.

"She's Tanya's sister," I explained. "I saw her when she came by to help Ali last week. It didn't even occur to me that she'd say anything to Tanya or that Tanya would care one way or another about it. It's been so long since we've spoken."

"Well, she's not allowed to ruin our day," Bella said firmly as she pulled me toward the kitchen. She had laid out a platter of sandwiches and tons of snacks.

"Wow, Love, this is awesome. Thank you." I pulled her to me for a kiss. I'd missed her so fucking much and Tanya showing up had put me on edge. I needed to feel her lips under my own, I needed reassurance that she was still mine.

"Ick! Gross!" my sister exclaimed from the doorway. "Don't you two ever give it a rest? Oooh sandwiches!"

"Shut it Ali. I missed your brother," Bella admonished. "Besides, you and Jazz are just as bad."

Ugh, I did not want to think about that. I chose to ignore Bella's comment and help myself to some food instead.

"Yes! Grub!" Emmett's voice echoed through the kitchen. "Please tell me I'm allowed to have some this time."

"Alright," Bella conceded. "I guess if your mouth is full you won't be able to say anything. So that's got to be an improvement."

Emmett didn't seem offended by the comment, instead he sat at the table and began loading up his plate with food.

It seemed for just a moment like such a normal thing to do. We were all seated at the table, quietly sharing a meal. I couldn't remember the last time I'd shared a meal with both of my siblings at the same time. It had been years since we'd all been together. The peace only lasted for a short time, though.

"What the ever-lovin' fuck is this all about?!" Emmett shouted around a mouth full of food. He was gripping his phone tightly in his large hand and his face was rapidly turning so red it was shifting toward purple.

"What's wrong?" Ali asked.

"Some organization called the 'Sexually Transmitted Infections Alert Center' sent out an alert to…well fuck it looks like everyone on my contacts list, letting them know I have herpes and highly drug resistant gonorrhea…is that even a thing?" He kept scrolling through his phone, looking more and more agitated as he did. I didn't think that sounded like a legitimate organization, but I could have been wrong.

"You have gonorrhea and herpes?" my sister asked sounding slightly alarmed.

"NO I FUCKIN' DON'T! Who the hell sent this and how did they find all these people in my contacts?" Emmett started pulling on his hair and breathing heavily. I looked over at Bella, who was trying to hide her amused expression behind her sandwich, which confused me until it didn't. Rosalie Hale had landed her first attack on my brother. Shit that was cruel; hitting my brother where it hurt most. He must have royally pissed her off.

"HOW THE HELL DID THIS HAPPEN. I'M GONNA FIND OUT AND I'M GONNA FUCKIN SUE SOMEBODY!" Emmett bellowed, slamming his hand down on the table and abruptly leaving the room.

So much for a quiet family meal.

 **A/N:**

 ***Raul Dahl's Matilda. Awesome book. If you haven't read it, you probably should. The movie is cute too.**

 ****Amelie, French movie from 2001, adorable and awesome if you haven't seen it.**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hi there Friends. Thanks for all the love, follows, and favs!**

 **Okay, so…I'm sorry in advance for the heavy. I promise, good things come soon. I didn't expect things to unfold all at once like this, but they just seemed to work out that way.**

 **Obvs. : I don't own twilight or its characters, but I do own this little plot.**

 **EPOV**

"Well that was entertaining!" my sister said brightly after she'd recovered from Emmett's abrupt exit. I was starting to feel a little guilty about finding his situation as amusing as I did initially.

"Did you help her with this Ali?" I asked, disappointment slightly coloring my voice. It wasn't that my brother was innocent or undeserving of some kind of retribution for his actions, but I could see how far reaching the effects of Rosalie's prank might be. I found myself feeling just a little bit sorry for him…just a little.

"No. I didn't know what she was doing. I just knew she'd gained access to his phone," Ali said, shrugging. "Don't look at me like that Edward! You don't know what he's turned into. He was ready to grab Bella's ass the second he encountered her. I didn't see the first instance, but I saw him reach for her ass at least once without her permission. If she hadn't stepped away from him, he would have had his grubbing paws all over her!"

I saw red as the scene she was describing played in my mind. One look at Bella's face told me all I needed to know. She'd left out a few details about her first encounter with my brother, most likely in an effort to spare my feelings.

"Fuck," I grumbled, roughly scrubbing my face with my hand.

"Besides," Ali continued. "That was nothing. Rose has all sorts of shit planned for him. She said she gave him a chance, but he was too stupid to back down and now she's at war with him."

"Shit," I said, pushing my plate away. "Ali, this could cause him problems for years. What if he gets his shit together and this keeps him from getting a job or being with a girl he truly cares for. People fuck up. Emmett fucks up a lot, but it doesn't mean he's a lost cause. He's young and angry right now, but in a few years he may be a very different person. I don't want him to be unable to put his past behind him if he wants to."

"Edward, I appreciate what you're saying, I really do," Ali said seriously. "But that man's past will be haunting him for years, whether he likes it or not. He's been disgusting toward anything with a vagina and a pulse for years now and he's made some enemies along the way." She pursed her lips and paused in thought for a moment. "Now, I'll ask Rose to tone it down, because against every feminist bone in my body, I sort of agree with you. But I doubt it'll do any good. She's out for blood. I can only guide her toward less permanent damage."

"Thank you Ali. That's all I ask for," I said. "It's not that I disagree with her efforts, I just worry about her methods, is all."

The doorbell rang and my sister hopped up and skipped out of the room to answer it. Bella reached over and ran her fingers through my hair, massaging my scalp, which had an instant calming effect.

"You're a good brother," she whispered. "I know you're worried about him. I think he's hiding a lot pain, but I don't think he's a lost cause."

"Thanks baby," I said leaning over for a kiss.

We heard laughter and voices echoing from the front room and I remembered that I had a bone to pick with Kate.

"Excuse me baby. I need to have a word with Ali's friend," I said rising from my chair and heading toward the sounds of airy laughter.

I found Ali with Kate and Irina. They were giggling as they walked toward my sister's studio.

"Kate can I have a word?" I asked. She looked up startled, probably surprised by my cold tone.

"Sure Edward. Ali, I'll be right in," Kate answered. Ali gave me a puzzled look, but didn't comment as she led Irina down the hall.

"Did you tell Tanya about seeing me here last week?"

She looked genuinely confused. "What? No. I barely speak to my sister. We don't really see eye to eye on pretty much anything. She's been staying with my parents in Chicago since her divorce last year. Why?"

"She showed up here earlier today, asking me to give her another chance and then spewing a bunch of hateful crap about me and Bella. What I can't figure out is how she knew I was here and seemed to know about my girlfriend. If you didn't tell her, who did?" I couldn't keep the accusatory tone from filling my voice.

"I swear I didn't tell her anything," she said earnestly. She bit her lower lip and was quiet for a moment before some recognition flashed in her eyes. "I told my mother, but she would never tell Tanya. She's still pissed about what my sister put you through. Mommy and Daddy cut her off after she refused to attend your mother's funeral. That was the last straw for them.

"They've barely been on speaking terms these last several years. If she hadn't been left in such dire straits by her ex, they would have left her to fend for herself. But he left her with a mountain of debt and drained their accounts before skipping town. They caught up with him eventually, but not the money."

"If your mother didn't tell her, how did she find out?" I asked, my patience wearing thin. I really didn't have any sympathy for Tanya's sob story, not that Kate sounded overly sympathetic as she related it, but I actually didn't care at all. I just wanted her to stay the fuck away from me and Bella.

"She must have overheard somehow," Kate said. "I was so happy to see you and then I met Bella last weekend, she's amazing by the way, love her. After that I couldn't wait to tell mom how well you were doing because my folks have been so worried about you. They hate that Tanya essentially severed all ties with you because of her bullshit behavior. They did try to contact you early on after everything, but they understood that you didn't want them in your life anymore."

I thought about what she said and I felt a little better about the situation. I had been so disappointed that Kate would pull something like that; it was a relief to be wrong. I'd always gotten along well with the Danali family and I'd never felt any bitterness toward anyone but Tanya after our split.

"Kate," I started awkwardly. "I…I'm sorry I accused you, but she was so awful and I was so angry at the thought of you doing something like that. Thank you for what you told me. Please tell you parents that I appreciate their concern. I wasn't avoiding contact with them after my mom died, I was avoiding contact with everyone. I just started acting like a human again recently thanks to Bella."

"Thanks Edward. That will mean a lot to them. They would love to hear from you when you're ready," she said kindly. "I better get in there before you sister has a fit about my absence."

I chuckled because she was right; I was surprised my sister had been this patient.

"Oh Kate?" I called as she turned to leave.

"Hmm?"

"Could you let me know if you hear anything about your sister being in town? I just want to avoid another run in like today. I'm not sure what she thought she was going to accomplish, but I don't really ever need a repeat performance."

"I'll be sure to let you know if I hear anything," she said as she left the room.

I walked back to the kitchen and found Bella at the table on her cell. She looked irritated. I was guessing some member of her family was on the other end of the call. My guess was confirmed a minute later when she spoke.

"Mother….Mother….." she said, trying to get a word in. I was sitting next to her now and I could hear the unending stream of words coming from her mother. "Renee!" Bella shouted finally.

"Well I wouldn't have to yell if you'd stop to listen occasionally," she huffed. "Can I speak now?...thank you." She rolled her eyes before continuing. "I understand that you leave town in the morning, but you've been here all weekend and are just calling me now at 5pm on Sunday night. I can't just drop everything and come to your hotel for dinner. I have class early in the morning and work to do tonight."

She paused listening. As she listened her face reddened in anger.

"I can't exactly make time for you if you don't tell me when to make time, can I? I'm sure your visit has been busy, but I actually had some time earlier this weekend and it would have been easier to visit then than it is now." She paused, pinching the bridge of her nose and drawing in a deep breath. "I'll compromise with you. I'll meet you at eight for desert and drinks. That'll give me time to finish some work, but I can't stay long."

She listened again, making eye contact with me she shrugged and smirked at me, letting me know she was okay. Her mother was such a bitch. I was surprised Bella was even thinking of going after how inconsiderate she'd been of Bella's time. But she spoke about her mother with the indulgent, forgiving nature of a parent rather than as her child. I was grateful that Renee lived so far away. Bella was far too forgiving of her.

She ended her call shortly after and her body immediately slumped against the chair behind her. The physical strain of dealing with Renee's bullshit was immediately evident in her posture.

"Baby, come here," I said, lifting her up and setting her on my lap.

She sagged heavily, leaning her head on my chest, but after a minute of my hand rubbing soft, slow circles on her back, she released the tension she'd been holding and snuggled against me.

"You okay, baby?" I asked.

"Yeah," she sighed. "She's just so horrible. She wasn't always like this." She pulled back and her sad eyes pleaded with me. "Really, she used to be so fun and sweet with me. She was always fucked up and flakey, but never hurtful toward me like she's been recently."

"When do you think she changed?" I asked.

Her brow furrowed and she gnawed on her lower lip. She was silent for a beat before she answered, "I can't pinpoint it exactly, but I guess it was about a year ago, when I went to visit her and Phil at Christmas. She was her normal, flighty, happy self mostly, but after that trip something seemed to change. We spoke less often, but I was busy so I'm not sure it was all her fault. When we did talk, she was colder and…I don't know sort of harsh with me. I don't understand…" she broke off sounding pained and confused. I tightened my arms around her and held her close to me.

"Well, I'm going with you tonight," I said.

"What? No. I'm not subjecting you to her crap," she argued.

"Uh, yeah, you've already been dealing with Emmett's shit for the last few days," I countered. Pulling her face up so she met my eyes, I brushed the tears from her cheeks. "Let me support you while you deal with her. She's not gonna scare me away, baby. Nothing could make me leave you, except for you asking me to go."

"Never gonna happen," she said softly.

"Good, then you're stuck with me for a good long while." I leaned down to brush her lips lightly with my own. "Run up and get ready. I'll clean this up while you get some work done."

She reached up, pressing her lips softly to mine. The heat of her tongue brushing against my own had me grabbing her hips and pulling her tightly against me. I groaned and reluctantly pulled her away.

"Sorry," she giggled before she hopped up off my lap and headed toward the door.

"No you're not," I called after her.

She just giggled in response, her hips swaying seductively as she exited the room. My girl was a fucking tease.

 **BPOV**

"Ugh, why did I agree to this?" I asked, adjusting the itchy burgundy top Alice had stuck me in.

"You said you were okay with this, are you really?" Edward asked me. His eyes looked at me with such concern it made my chest ache. How had I gotten so lucky?

"Yeah," I sighed. "I should have known she'd make me wait, though." I looked down at my phone again. "Five more minutes and we're leaving." I took another sip of my tea. Edward was having a beer, but I had twenty more pages of data to analyze before tomorrow so I was sticking to caffeinated beverages tonight. We were sitting next to each other on the bench seat of a table in a homey little restaurant inside the Charles Hotel. We'd been here for about twenty minutes and I was starting to wonder if Renee was going to stand us up.

"Isabella!" my mother's cheery voice cried. "It's so good to see you!"

She sounded so sweet and sincere it kind of threw me for a minute. This was how she used to sound when she spoke to me, before things had changed with us. I looked up to see her standing before us in a tight fitting black dress that was slightly larger than a retro bathing suit. It was so different from her typical hippy style and far less flattering.

She was eyeing Edward speculatively. "Won't you introduce me to your _friend_ ," she said with a coy smirk. Oh fuck no! She was trying to get her flirt on with Edward. Well this was bound to be awkward and embarrassing. She thrust her hand out toward him, striking a dramatic pose like she was in a Bob Fosse musical. I suppressed my laughter, but just barely. "I'm Renee. And you are…?"

Edward looked at me askance before accepting her hand. "I'm Edward, Bella's boyfriend."

"Really," my mother said breathily, sinking into the chair across from Edward. "Bella never mentioned a boyfriend. You really should have said something sweetie. I would have made more time to get to know your man." What the fuck? And sweetie? Dear lord, it was like she was playing a character in one of her community theater productions: the sweet, affectionate mother…with full cleavage on display. Gross.

I looked over at Edward. His face seemed impassive, but his eyes were hard; he was trying to hide his anger.

"So, I see you're just as much fun as ever, Bella," my mother said dryly. "I mean tea dear? What are you? Ninety?" she giggled and looked over at Edward, dropping her hand not so casually on his forearm. His eyes immediately fell to her offending hand. "She never has been one for relaxing or letting loose. But you probably know all about that by now." She smirked at my boyfriend, completely oblivious to the anger rolling off of him. He extracted his arm from under hers and slipped it beneath the table onto my leg.

"Can I get you a drink or the desert menu?" our waiter asked, thankfully interrupting her idiocy.

"I'll have a vodka tonic and no thank you on desert," she said dismissively.

He looked over at us, "Would you like anything else?"

"Actually, we'll share the apple, cranberry crisp please and can I have another cup of tea," I requested, ignoring my mother's exaggerated eye roll.

"I'll take another as well," Edward said, gesturing to his nearly empty pint glass.

After the waiter had left I tried my best to gain control over the conversation before my mother made an even bigger spectacle of herself. "So have you and Phil had a nice visit?" I asked.

"Yes, we have!" she gushed. "Phil's been working mostly, but I met a really fun couple the night we checked in, two sweet gay guys who are here from New York visiting friends. Well, they showed me all around the city yesterday! We went shopping and ate at this cute little café; it was so much fun. Then today I spent at the spa mostly. Phil would have joined us, but he has a dinner meeting at the Capital Grill and won't be back until late."

"Wow, sounds great," I deadpanned. She'd spent her entire visit with strangers instead of calling me. I tried to keep the hurt out of my voice, but Edward must have heard it. He gave my leg a reassuring squeeze under the table. I looked over at him gratefully and gave him a soft smile to let him know I was okay.

"Well, I'm sorry to miss seeing Phil. Please give him my love," I said, genuinely sad to have missed a chance at catching up with my stepfather. He was a really sweet guy, actually and funnily enough he was a few years younger than Edward. I think he was thirty-four.

Renee's voice turned icy, "I'll be sure to let him know you said hi."

I felt Edward stiffen beside me. I couldn't make sense of her reaction, but I instinctively leaned against his side and his arm slid around my shoulder protectively.

"Bella! Hi there pretty girl! I'm so glad I made it back before you had to leave!" I heard Phil's deep voice as he approached the table. I looked up to see a bright smile on his face as I stood to give him a hug. The contrast between greeting him and my own mother was so striking. He hugged me tightly and whispered, "It's so good to see you. How have you been?"

I sat back down and answered, "I've been really well, thanks Phil. It's great to see you too." It was nice that someone in my family was happy to see me.

"Phil, this is Edward, my boyfriend," I said. Phil looked up surprised, but reached over to shake his hand.

"Good to meet you. I'm married to Bella's mom," Phil explained unnecessarily. Turning back to me he said, "I didn't know you were dating anyone. Your mom never said anything."

"I just found out _dear_ ," she said tightly. The tension between them was palpable. And new. I'd never seen them be anything, but affectionate toward each other. Something had clearly changed between them since I'd seen them last.

"Here's your apple crisp and your drinks," the waiter said as he placed things on the table. "Can I get anything for you sir?" he asked Phil.

"Uh, yeah. I'll take a Glenfiddich, neat," he answered.

"Very good sir," the waiter said as he left.

"So, how's school going?" Phil asked me.

"Good. I've been working in Banner's lab as well as on my own research. I met with my thesis advisor last week and she had a lot of positive feedback for me along with some challenging questions that I think are really helping me take my research to the next level. I'm hopeful that I'll be completing my work in the next year, but it could be longer depending on my research outcomes." Phil was one of the few people I was close with who had shown a genuine interest in my studies. He was always encouraging and engaged.

"Well it sounds like your work is really progressing. I'm happy to hear it, pretty girl." He turned to Edward. "So how did you meet our girl Bella here?"

Edward raised an eyebrow at Phil, I wasn't sure what he was responding to. "Uh, I used to live in Forks. We met when Bella was visiting her father for Christmas."

"Huh, so are you out here visiting? Or did you move out here permanently?" Phil asked.

"I moved out here. My sister lives nearby. I share a house with her," he answered, sipping his beer.

"That's nice of her to take you in like that," Phil said with on odd edge in his voice.

"Well, it _is_ my house, but it was nice of her to agree to let me move in. I mean, she's been living there on her own for a couple of years now," he answered.

"The house is yours?" I asked. "I thought it was Ali's?"

Edward looked over at me and shrugged. "Nah, the Cambridge house is mine. Ali owns the condo in New York." It seemed like he stopped himself from saying something else, but I can't be sure.

"What is it you do, Ed?" Phil asked, finishing his scotch and signaling the waiter for another one. "You're a little old to be a student, aren't you?"

"I'm a musician," he answered simply, not reacting to Phil's increasingly harsh tone. I never expected him to get all protective on me, but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Like Jasper had before him, Phil wanted to make my boyfriend squirm a bit. Edward seemed unconcerned so I only squeezed his hand for support. He turned his hand over where it rested on my leg, entwining our fingers and squeezing my hand in response.

"Sounds really lucrative," Phil mused. "You support yourself on that do you?"

"Yes," he answered unaffectedly.

"hmm…I'd think someone your age would be doing something a bit more stable by now. Isn't the music industry notoriously fickle? What's your backup plan for later, when you need a real job? When you need to support a family?"

"Phil!" I cried shocked at his tone. His question was so absurd I wanted to laugh and would have if he wasn't being such an ass to the man I love. "Jesus. Lay the hell off. I promise that Edward is quite capable of fending for himself financially."

A small smirk played at Edwards lips. "I do alright. I assure you, should Bella need or want it, I am more than prepared to take care of her financially," he said. "However, I think anyone who's spent more than ten minutes with my girl would know that she is independent, nearly to a fault, and can more than take care of herself."

Rather than looking appeased by this, Phil only looked more irritated by this response. My mother was being uncharacteristically quiet. I had been so distracted by the tension between the men at the table that I hadn't noticed before. Looking over at her, I saw her eyes lit with anger as she stared at her husband. She must have felt my gazes because her angry eyes flashed to me, not softening at all as she stared me down. My heart sank at her expression. I wasn't sure we could overcome whatever had put that hateful expression in her eyes.

~oo0O0oo~

"Well that was a delightful evening," I said as I freed myself from the itchy blouse that had plagued me all night. It had been a quiet, pensive walk home for both of us. I think we were both a bit shell shocked from the intensity of our encounter with my mom and Phil.

"I'll say." Edward laughed. "I was a total hit with the stepdad, who must be younger than me, by the way."

"Yep. Old man," I snarked, pulling him close, pressing my bare chest to his. "Truly, though, I'm so sorry for both Renee and Phil. They were just horrible to you. Thank you for enduring that for me." I kissed the soft skin of his chest. All I wanted to do was fall into bed with him, but I had a mountain of work to do and it couldn't be put off any longer.

"Don't apologize for other people's bad behavior, Love. You aren't responsible for how they act," he said, running his fingers through my hair softly. He looked like he wanted to say more on the subject, but instead he excused himself, "I know you have to work baby. I'll be in the music room so I don't distract you." He gave me a sweet, but too chaste kiss before grabbing a sweatshirt and leaving me to work.

I heard the soft sounds of him composing at the piano as I worked at the small desk in the bedroom. A few hours later, when I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer, I set my alarm and slipped into bed. I fell asleep to the sounds of a lovely haunting melody floating in from down the hall.

~oo0O0oo~

I woke up with a start. I couldn't quite bring my dream into focus, but I remembered being frightened and angry and panicked. My heart was still pounding. I felt Edward's warm arm draped over me protectively and his breath on my neck. I never thought that I would enjoy sleeping with someone like this. I always figured it would get uncomfortable after a while, but I found that I loved how he held me close as he slept. Like he was afraid I might disappear if he let go.

Looking over at the clock I saw that it was past six. Knowing I'd never get back to sleep at this point, I decided to get up and fix breakfast so I'd have something to calm me down. I slid out from the comfort of Edward's arms, threw on a sweatshirt of his that I found lying nearby, and padded quietly downstairs to the kitchen.

Twenty minutes later I was sipping my second cup of coffee and adding another waffle to my growing stack when I heard the front door close. Emmett sauntered in, looking worn and as vulnerable as I'd ever seen him. Wordlessly he sat at the counter across from me. I stacked a couple of waffles on a plate along with some bacon and fruit salad and set the plate in front of him. He looked up at me, shocked and held my gaze for a moment before digging into his food.

After a few bites he looked up at me and said, "Thanks, this is really good."

"No problem," I answered.

After we ate in silence for a while longer he asked, "So any particular reason you're up, alone, cooking a mountain of food at the crack of dawn?"

I shrugged. "I cook when I'm stressed or anxious. It calms me down. I find it meditative. Some people run to clear their minds, I cook."

"Huh," he grunted. "I think I'm gonna like havin' you around."

I flipped off the waffle iron and stacked a bit more food on my plate before joining him at the counter.

"So what has you down here so early looking like your dog just died?" I asked.

He shoveled some fruit into his mouth and shrugged. I didn't think he was going to answer so I just kept eating quietly. At least I'd tried.

"I had a fight with Edward last night…well another fight with him. He's such an ass, you know." He looked over at me and smiled sheepishly, "I guess you probably disagree with me, but he's been gone a long time. He can't just come back here and try to tell me what to do. All he does is tell me what a fuck up he thinks I am."

I pursed my lips and thought of how to reply. "He's just worried about you and I think he's pretty angry at himself for not being here for you or Ali when you needed him, but Emmett he loves you and he wants to try to fix this. Don't be dismissive of that. At least he cares…"

He looked at me thoughtfully for a minute, chewing his mouthful of food. "What? Your family doesn't care about you? That's fucked up." He said around a new bite of bacon.

"Uh, yeah. It is fucked up, if I'm being honest. That's sort of how I met Edward. I was hiding from my family at the local watering hole in Forks, avoiding the awkward dance of us all pretending we're a normal family…"

"Wait! Did you just say Forks?" He asked suddenly.

I looked over at him confused for a minute. Oh! "Yeah, my dad's from there. I was visiting him for Christmas."

"You're Becca! The science nerd from Forks!" he shouted, likely waking Ali up.

I smiled impishly at him, "No, Emmett, I'm Bella the science nerd. It's not my fault you don't always listen to what people are saying." I sipped my coffee nonchalantly while he struggled with this new revelation.

"Wait, so this is why all of you crazy bit—"he started, but I interrupted him by chucking a strawberry against his forehead.

"…sorry." He said wiping the juice from his head with the back of his hand. "I mean why you and Rose and Ali were making fun of me. You all think I'm a fuckin moron." He grumbled slightly at the end.

"Emmett, I don't think you're a moron. I do however, think you can be an asshole. You tried to grab my ass before you said two words to me and you basically see women as something to fuck rather than people. Why are you being normal with me now? Why aren't you saying douchey things to me now?"

He shrugged, looking uncomfortable. "I dunno, you're being nice to me. You fed me and you sort of remind me of my mom a bit. She used to listen to me like this without getting pissed at the stupid shit I said."

I was overwhelmed by what he'd said. I could see how hard it was for him to open up like this. He looked terrified. I reached over and clasped his hand in mine.

"I think you should consider talking to someone about all this. You can talk to me anytime, but someone outside of the family would be able to give you an impartial perspective."

"What like a shrink?" he asked sounding skeptical and more than a little offended.

"Well, yeah. Edward has an appointment today to meet with someone for the first time," I explained. I knew Edward wouldn't mind me sharing this with Emmett. He was truly worried about his brother and would do anything to help him. "You should just think about it. You seem to me, and I know I just met you, but you seem like you're carrying a lot of hurt and anger. I don't think you've really let yourself deal with all your grief and your anger at your brother. And for the record, I don't think your anger is entirely unwarranted, I just think you need to have compassion for your brother and try to see things from his point of view as well. He loves you and if he's on your case about stuff it's because he's worried about you."

Emmett made a grunting noise and pushed his stool away from the counter. "I'll think about it Bella, but I wouldn't hold my breath. He's…god he just pisses me off so much. I can't help wanting to do shit to piss him off right back. And I don't think I'll be talking to any shrink any time soon, sorry."

He started toward the door, but turned at the last minute and said, "Thanks for the food…and for listening."

I started cleaning up my mess after he'd left. I don't know what I expected, but I hadn't expected him to sit and have a civil conversation with me. That had been a surprise. I mulled over our talk as I finished storing the food for Ali and Edward, who wouldn't be getting up for a couple of hours I was guessing. Back upstairs, I showered and dressed for class. I had an eight thirty lecture and I didn't have my bike so I'd be taking the T, which was a bit unpredictable. I left a short note for Edward and kissed him lightly before I left.

As I made my way into Harvard Square at half past seven I dialed Rose.

"Hey Chica!" she answered on the first ring.

"Hi Ro. How's the war effort going?" I asked.

"Oh so fucking well! I can't even tell you. He really should choose better passwords for his devices, not to mention his accounts. That boy's gonna get himself in trouble!"

"Sounds like he already has," I laughed. "Seriously, Ro. I know he's an ass, but don't be too hard on him. He's more vulnerable than you might realize and he's been through a lot in the last few years."

"B, I won't be cruel." At my snort or derision she continued. "Okay maybe the STI email to everyone he knows was a bit harsh, but I promise everything else has been and will be harmless, just irritating to him. Have you heard his new ring tone yet? It's amazing. I've been setting a new one each morning and this is my favorite so far." She was absolutely giddy.

"No, Ro, what is it?" I asked, crossing Church Street toward the T entrance.

"It's fucking brilliant that's what it is," she laughed causing me to roll my eyes at her. "It's Garfunkle and Oats…"

"You didn't!" I gasped, instantly knowing what she'd done.

She was laughing hysterically on the other end of the phone. "For the douche, for the douche, For the motherfuckin douche!*" she sang, still giggling.

"Oh dear lord Rosalie Hale. You are gonna drive that boy insane," I grumped.

"Oh please. He can take it," she argued. "He's a big boy. He can handle a little gentle teasing."

"Uh huh," I said. "Just be careful you don't push things too far. I gotta go Ro. I'll call you later."

"Okay. See ya girlie."

"Bye," I ended our call. I hoped she knew what she was doing and that she didn't cause more harm than good with Emmett. But there was no stopping Rosalie Hale once she was on the warpath. I sent a short text to Edward as I walked down the stairs toward the platform. I asked him to ease up on his brother a bit today and promised to explain later. As I pressed send I felt my foot miss the next step. My arms pin-wheeled as I tried to grab the railing, but all my hands found was air as my body lurched forward, tumbling down toward the subway platform below.

 **EPOV**

I had been up too late working on the main theme for the Volturi film. Completely losing track of time, it was nearly three when I slid into bed behind Bella. She was out cold as I snuggled up to her. I awoke to a cold bed and a note on her pillow. It was nearly noon and I had an appointment at two with my new therapist. She worked in the same practice as Ali's therapist. I was a bit nervous, but I knew it was a step I had to take to get well for my family and for Bella.

I reached into my nightstand and pulled out the little green box that I'd been hiding there since I'd returned from Washington. I flipped it open and looked down at the set of platinum rings nestled there. I knew it was too soon. I'd wait a couple more months, maybe she would catch up to me by then. But I really need her to be mine in every way possible. I was hers so completely; I wanted it to be legally binding. I'd already changed my will making her the beneficiary in the case of my death, but it didn't feel like enough. Being her boyfriend was wonderful, but seemed inadequate. I wanted to be her husband. I wanted her to be Bella Cullen more than anything. But she was only twenty-one and we'd known each other such a short time, she needed more time. So I would wait.

I tucked the box back into my drawer and picked up my phone. I'd missed a few calls and texts. The first text was from Bella telling me to lay off Emmett, that she wanted to talk to me about him tonight. Huh. The second text was from Rose. I sat up as soon as I read the panicked words. Not waiting to listen to the voicemails, I quickly dialed Rose's number.

"Edward! Thank God! Where have you been? I've been trying to reach you for hours!" Rose sounded frantic.

"What happened Rose? Is Bella okay?" I asked, trying not to freak the fuck out.

"I don't know. They won't let me see her. I got here as quick as I could. I'm her emergency contact." She explained. "But as soon as Renee got here she kicked me out and won't let me in and won't tell me anything. Edward when I left her she was unconscious and she looked so pale and small. Why won't they tell me what's going on?" She started sobbing.

"What hospital are you at? I'll be right there." I said, my voice eerily calm. I jotted down her directions and jumped out of bed, throwing on the first thing I found. It was the sweatshirt that I was wearing last night and it smelled like Bella. My heart was beating wildly as I shoved on my boots and grabbed my wallet, phone and keys from the nightstand. I raced down stairs and nearly ran head first into my brother on the 2nd floor landing.

"Woah, Dude, where's the fucking fire?" he asked. Catching the look on my face he said, "Seriously. What's wrong? Is Ali okay?"

"It's Bella.." choked out. His eyes went wide.

He grabbed my keys and said, "Come on, I'm driving. Where is she?"

"She's at Mass General. Emmett she fell…" I tried to keep myself from falling apart totally. "If she fell in Cambridge it had to be really bad for them to bring her into Boston to get treated." I fell into my seat in a daze. It was the first time I was glad for my brother's insane driving. He always dreamed of being a nascar driver, but settled for spending an insane amount on expensive cars and speeding tickets instead.

"Em, I can't lose her. I'd fuckin die…" I looked at him and his face was so full of concern it surprised me. It reminded me of the sweet kid he'd been years ago, always looking out for Ali and following me around like a shadow.

"Don't freak out until you know what's going on. Fill me in, what do you know?"

"Rose said she fell at the Harvard square train station. She fell down half a flight of stairs early this morning. She got to the hospital and Bella was unconscious. She said she saw her for about five minutes and was waiting for the doctor, when Renee, Bella's horrible mother arrived, kicking her out and now she doesn't even know what's going on at all."

"Her mom won't even let Rose know how she's doing?"

"No she's a fucking bitch. I don't know what her fucking problem is, but I doubt she's gonna let me see her either."

"Fuck. That's messed up," Emmett punched the steering wheel in frustration. "What is with this traffic? It's the middle of the fuckin day!"

I seethed at the idea of Renee keeping Bella away from the people who loved her. Who the fuck was she to make this choice? She was barely a part of Bella's life. Rose was her sister. Rose should be allowed to take care of her and talk to the doctors. I knew I was a new part of Bella's life, but Rose had been looking out for Bella for years. This was all kinds of wrong.

Finally we pulled up outside the hospital.

"Go on up. I'll find parking and find you inside." Emmett said. "What floor?'"

"There's a family waiting room on the first floor," I answered, already exiting the car. "Rose and Jasper are waiting there since Renee isn't letting her up to the ICU."

I hopped out and ran inside, following signs for the waiting room Rose had texted me about. I pulled open the door and frantically began looking around for Rose. I found her in the back corner with red, swollen eyes. Jasper was beside her and their hands were clutched tightly together. They were speaking quietly with their heads bent close together. The moment looked so intimate I was afraid to interrupt them.

"Rose. Any news?" I said, out of breath from running.

She looked up and shook her head. "I keep calling Renee, but she won't answer. I tried Charlie, but I can't get ahold of him either. This fuckin' sucks. I want to know how she is. I just want to know if she's okay. I understand that they won't let us see her, but why won't they tell us what the hell is goin' on?" Her voice was raised and accented, her eyes were wild as she got to her feet and started pacing.

"Fuck!" I cursed quietly. "There has to be something we can do." I pulled out my phone and dialed Marcus, my lawyer.

"Hello Edward. What can I help you with?" He answered, right to business as always.

I quickly explained the situation. He asked me a few questions and then asked to speak to Rose. She looked confused, but took the phone. After she answered a few of his questions she returned my phone to me.

"Can you do anything? We just want to know if she's okay." I begged. "We don't want any medical details or anything, though we'd love to know more."

"I'll see what I can do Edward, but I'm sorry to say that while she's in the ICU it's a lot easier for her mother to isolate her like this. If they move her to another ward and her condition is downgraded, I may be able to get you in to see her, providing they aren't guarding her 24/7 or anything."

"Okay, thank you. I'm gonna call in a few favors, exhaust all avenues." I said, slightly defeated. "She's everything to me Marcus. I need to know that she's okay."

"I understand. Hang in there Edward," he said earnestly. "I'll be in touch soon."

Rose looked at me with hopeful eyes. "Anything."

I shook my head and her face fell. "Not unless she gets downgraded to another ward. The ICU has stricter policies than most of the hospital. Let me see what else I can figure out."

I pulled out my phone and started sorting through my contacts. Dad had been friends with people on the boards of many hospitals, but it had been so long since I'd been in touch with anyone. I wasn't sure who to call.

"Dude, any news?" my brother asked, plopping down in the chair beside me.

"No, Marcus said they won't tell us anything while she's in the ICU, but we may be able to see her if she's moved to a regular room." I answered, slightly distracted as I scrolled through the names on my phone. "Any ideas of who Dad might have known at MGH? Anyone on the board that could help us?"

My brother's face lit up. "Actually, I might know someone. Let me call him."

He pulled out his phone and walked away to make his call.

"Jasper, does Ali know what's going on? I'm surprised she's not here," I said turning to him.

"Yeah, she was here, but she ran out to get us some food," he answered. "She was gonna go look for you, but when you called Rose she changed her plan. I think she was going crazy sitting in this tiny room. She already went up there to try to work her charm, but the nurses wouldn't let her in because she's not family. Renee refused to come out to talk to her so she ended up back here."

"Do you think Renee might talk to me? Should I go up and try?" I asked.

"Couldn't hurt," Jasper answered.

I nodded solemnly and he gave me directions to the ICU. I headed out of the waiting room and found the right bank of elevators. Up on the 11th floor, the long grey hallway was quiet as I followed the signs to the nurses' station.

"Excuse me," I asked an older nurse sitting behind the desk. "I just found out that my girlfriend was brought in after a bad fall."

She looked over at me sympathetically. "What's her name?" she asked, but I had a feeling she already expected it from the look on her face.

"Isabella Swan. Is she okay? Please tell me she's okay." My voice broke as the words left my throat. I didn't care that I was emotional, that tears were falling down my face. I needed to know. This woman knew what was going on with Bella.

The woman stared at me hard for a moment, as if she was deciding something. She glanced around her and leaned her body over the counter toward me. "Her mother won't let anyone in and she doesn't want anyone informed of her status." She glanced behind her again before continuing. "Something's not right here. I can't tell you much…I'd get fired for telling you anything, but…" she stopped, considering for a minute.

"She has some extensive but, non-life-threatening injuries. However, she's being kept here because she has yet to regain full consciousness. Until she does we won't know the full extent of her injuries. She woke up briefly when she was first brought in, but was confused. It's a good sign that she regained consciousness, but a secondary injury can be a serious risk at this point. She lost consciousness again after about twenty minutes and she was never fully alert.

"Scans have indicated that the swelling in her brain isn't severe enough to warrant intervention, but we're watching her closely. Her eyes are responding well to stimulus which is a good sign.

"I can't tell you anymore. I shouldn't have said this much, but you are the fourth devastated looking person to come up here and her mother has barely looked up from her magazines since she arrived. She doesn't act like any mother I've seen up here, and believe me I've seen my share of suffering in these walls."

"Thank you…"

"Sharon," she supplied.

"Thank you so much Sharon." I grasped her hand and gave it a firm squeeze. I felt tears threatening to fall from my eyes again. "Bella means so much to all of us and the woman in that room is practically a stranger to her these days. I promise, when she wakes up, I'm marrying that girl as soon as she'll have me, so no one can ever do this to us again."

Sharon gave me a sad smile. "Go, before she comes out here again. Send someone back in a few hours to see her. If she's not here anymore they'll tell you. They won't tell you where they moved her, but they'll likely move her to the 7th floor in this building if her condition improves. Check down there."

I nodded and thanked her again before heading back with what little news I had. At least it was something though. Bella was alive and okay for the moment. I wanted more than anything to be in that room with her, holding her hand and telling her over and over again how much I love her, how much we all love her. The fact that my Bella was hurting and I couldn't be with her was killing me. I would never forgive Renee for her petty cruelty.

Bella's real family was huddled around a table near where I'd left them. Ali had returned and she'd covered the table with takeout containers. No one seemed particularly hungry, but Ali had obviously been desperate for occupation.

"Anything?" Rose asked when she noticed me approaching.

I quickly filled them in on what I'd learned. Everyone looked slightly relieved. It wasn't exactly good news, but it was better to know than to be left wondering.

"Has anyone called Angela?" I asked.

"I did," said Rose. "I'll call and give her an update. Thank you, Edward. I was about ready to punch Renee in the face so I could steal a peek at Bella's chart." She gave me a weak smile and headed to a quiet corner of the room so she could make her call.

Ali slid into the seat next to me. "How you holding up?" she asked quietly.

"Uh…I think I'm in shock really. Until I see her none of this seems real, you know?" I felt her hand on my cheek and I realized I was crying again. The last time I cried this much was when Mom died. I pushed the morbid thought from my mind. Losing Bella was not an option. She had to pull through this.

Rose returned to the table and cleared her throat, getting everyone's attention. "I just talked to Ange. Apparently she waddled over to the police station and ripped the chief a new one. His flight is already in the air. He'll land in Boston at about eight tonight and he promised her that he'd get us in to see Bella."

"God, what did she say to him?" I wondered.

"She told him what he needed to hear: the blunt, unvarnished truth," Rose said. "She told him that he and Renee were some of the worst parents imaginable to Bella. She said we were her real family and that we should be allowed to see her. She also told him about Jacob, what that fuckup did to our girl. She all but accused him of turning a blind eye to his daughter being abused. She said he looked like he was going to throw up by the time she'd finished screaming at him. This all took place on Main Street in front of the Fork's police station. That girl doesn't pull punches when she's pissed."

"Damn. I don't know this chick, but she sounds fucking amazing," my brother said. "What the fuck did this guy Jacob do? I'm gonna kick his ass."

Rose looked at Emmett with confusion. I was surprised by his reaction too. I wasn't sure what had happened to make my brother care for Bella, but something had shifted between them. I'd been too distracted before to notice it, but he seemed protective of her like he was of Ali.

"We'll talk about it later Em, if Bella says it's okay," I explained. He nodded, but he still looked ready to hunt down Jacob.

"Well, by nine, hopefully, we'll be in with Bella," Ali said, leaning into my side and hugging me around the waist. I put my arm around her and pulled her close. I was glad Bella's friends and my siblings were here with me. The waiting was painful, but it all seemed more bearable somehow when surrounded by people who were just as concerned for Bella as I was.

 **A/N: *Garfunkle and Oats' song "This Party Took a Turn for the Douche"**

 **Fic Rec: Loving the sexy, geeky WIP fic "Incognito" By: ericastwilight**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hi there Friends. Sorry for the delay on this chapter. RL has been nuts lately, but I'll do my best to keep the updates weekly. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts!**

 **Obvs. : I don't own twilight or its characters, but I do own this little plot.**

 **BPOV**

I was having the strangest dream. At least I was pretty sure it was a dream. I was hiding in the small, dark closet in my room in Forks. I never knew I could do this, tell when I was in a dream. I'd never done it before, but I could hear Mommy and Daddy yelling at each other and it all seemed wrong. Nothing made sense; it had to be a dream.

"Jesus, Renee, what the hell is wrong with you?" Daddy's voice carried in from the room outside. I clutched my soft, gray bunny tightly against my chest, nuzzling and kissing her floppy head. Bunny BunBun. She used to be light grey, but I carried her everywhere with me, so she was darker and dirtier than she was when I got her for my birthday.

"I'm not sure what you mean, Charlie," Mommy said, but her voice sounded all wrong. It was cold and hard. Mommy was goofy, weird, forgetful, but she wasn't ever mean. She sounded so mean.

"It's okay Bunny BunBun," I whispered. "We're safe in here. They won't find us." I rocked back and forth soothing my bunny as they continued to yell. It smelled like cleaning stuff in here, maybe it was on the clothes hanging over my head. It made my nose feel funny. I didn't like it.

"How could you do this? How could you keep her from the people she loves?" he asked. He sounded really sad. "What if they could help her? People in comas need the people who love them to be close. Why would you do this?"

"Don't be so dramatic Charlie, she's not in a coma. The doctor said she's in a minimally conscious state. Besides, I'm her mother. Who should be with her if not her own mother?" she yelled. Mommy didn't yell. She never got angry.

"God, when did you turn into this harpy? If you had been listening you would know that when she came in they thought she was in a minimally conscious state, but she's now considered a coma patient…."

I heard Daddy breathing hard, he sounded disappointed, like when he caught me trying to peek into his gun cabinet. I couldn't get it opened because it was locked, but he saw me anyhow and when he talked to me about it after his voice sounded just like it did now. Only now it sounded worse.

"I know we didn't always get on, because we're so different, but I always thought you were a good person, Renee. I never thought you could be evil. Right now, what you're doing to our little girl is hateful and wrong. I'm sending them in here now. Take your stack of magazines to the waiting room so that her friends can see her two at a time."

"I'm not going anywhere! She's my daughter and I'm the one who should get to be here with her!" She was yelling really loud now. I wanted to put my hands over my ears to block the sound, but I couldn't put Bunny down. She needed me.

"Excuse me," said a lady I didn't know. She sounded really mad, but her voice was still quiet. "You need to keep your voices down or I'll have to ask you to leave. This is an intensive care unit. Raised voices are completely inappropriate. You're not only disturbing your daughter, but other patients and families as well. This is your only warning." She sounded like the super serious librarian at the grown up library. Mommy called her cranky or grumpy, but I always thought she was just really shy and maybe a little bit sad.

It was quiet again and I started singing softly to help Bunny keep calm. She was getting really upset by all the yelling.

"See what you did Charlie! No one here has yelled at me before now." I didn't like Mommy like this. I didn't understand what they were fighting about, but she sounded like a big bully. I hated bullies. Like when Rebecca Black pushed Jacob into the tide pool because he wouldn't let her win at tag. She's such a big meanie when she doesn't get her way.

"Fine, sit there and read your crap," Daddy said. He sounded sad again. "I'll send them in one at a time then. You just sit there and supervise emotionlessly." I heard him say something real quiet, something that sounded like, "hateful shrew." But I didn't really know what that meant.

My song was making Bunny sleepy. It still smelled funny in here, but the clothes on the floor were soft to lie on. Maybe Bunny and I should take a little nap now that all the yelling had stopped…

 **EPOV**

"Staring at your phone isn't gonna make the time pass any faster, Bro," my brother said, nudging my shoulder. We were sitting a bit away from the others in these horrible plastic chairs.

"I can't help it," I groaned, pulling on my hair and tossing my phone down on the table next to me. "He should have been here by now."

"I thought he told Rose he was heading right up there to talk to Bella's demon mother. Give him a little time. He'll be down soon."

"Fuck! I hate this," I said, getting up and renewing my pacing. I'd been pacing the room for the last several hours, only sitting when I started to get on peoples nerves. "I just wish that nurse from earlier had been on her shift still. I hate not knowing." I'd gone up to see if I could get any more info on Bella, but Sharon, the nice ICU nurse had just left and the woman I'd encountered was a stickler for the rules so she told me nothing.

"I know, dude. But he'll be down here soon," Emmett tried to calm me. "Rose made sure he knew how pissed and anxious we all are."

My head snapped up as I saw Chief Swan enter the room with a somber expression on his face. I recognized him from around Forks, though I didn't think we'd ever spoken. He headed right for Rose where she sat with her brother and Ali at a round table in the far corner. I strode quickly across the room with my brother on my heels. We reached them just as he began speaking to Rose.

"Hi Rosalie. Jasper" he said nodding at each of them. "I was just up there. I talked to the nurses. She's pretty much the same as the last time you all had information on her. She's not conscious, and they're concerned that she isn't awake yet. It's still a waiting game.

"Now, I spoke to Renee," he paused, swallowing bitterly as he was trying to get some horrible taste from his mouth. "She's refusing to leave the room. Since policy says only two at a time in the room, you'll have to go up one by one. I have to ask you not to engage her at all. We got into it pretty good up there and nearly got kicked out. I'm afraid if anything else happens they won't let any visitors in the room at all. And if you talk to Renee, I can guarantee you're gonna get pissed off, so it's best to just ignore her, even if she tries to talk to you." He turned to see me standing behind him. His brow furrowed as he looked me and Emmett over, but he turned back to Rose.

"Rosalie, you goin' up first?" he asked.

Her eyes shot to mine, pleading with me silently. I nodded, knowing she needed to see Bella as much as I did. Her weak smile was grateful and she gave my hand a gentle squeeze as she got up left the room with Charlie in tow. I sunk down into the chair next to my sister willing myself to be patient. It was actually harder now that I was so close to seeing Bella with my own eyes.

A short time later Charlie returned alone. He stood at the edge of the table and looked us over.

"I'm sorry she did this to you all," he said gruffly. "It's not right to keep you from seeing Bella, to keep you from knowing she's okay." He turned his eyes to me, narrowing them slightly. "Edward, is it?"

I just nodded in response not having energy for much more at this point.

"Why don't we grab a cup of coffee. Rose is gonna text me when she's ready and I'll bring you up there. She said you'd be next in line." Without waiting for a response from me he turned toward the door.

Emmett smacked my shoulder and said, "Good luck with that, dude." I just shrugged in response and got up to follow Charlie down to the coffee shop in the lobby. Honestly, I had zero fucks left to give this guy. I was grateful to him for coming out here and getting us in to see Bella, but I couldn't care less if he approved of my relationship with his daughter. I certainly didn't approve of his relationship with his daughter, what little of it there was. So I followed him calmly toward the Starbucks kiosk. We each got a coffee and sat at one of the small tables nearby.

"So you and Bella are…?" he let the question hang as he stared me down hard. I'm sure he expected me to squirm, but like I said, zero fucks to give.

"Together," I finished for him firmly.

"You're a bit old for her, don't you think?" he asked tersely.

"No," I answered calmly. "Our age difference did bother me at first, but she doesn't care about my age, so I've stopped worrying about it. It wouldn't be fair for me to hang onto that worry if I'm committed to her and I am." At his skeptical look I continued. "Listen, I love your daughter for who she is. I'm not apologizing to you or anyone for loving that woman and I won't allow anyone to cheapen what we have by trying to turn us into some kind of clichéd midlife crisis bullshit."

He stared me down sternly, silently. After a stony silence he cleared his throat and spoke. "You seem pretty unconcerned with my opinion, which has me wondering about your motives, if I'm being honest. I'd think you'd care about what her family thinks of you if you want to be in her life for any length of time."

I couldn't contain my snort of derision, which earned me a dark look from the Chief. "Are you serious with this? Was she your family when you didn't invite her to your wedding? Was she your family when you let Leah bully and demean her? Was she family to you when you sat by as Jacob Black broke her arm and made her feel weak and unlovable?

"No, you were too fucking busy trying to get her to marry that Asshole and trying to make her feel like shit for walking away from him. That Ass by the way is cheating on your precious Leah with some teenager back in Forks. _You_ are _not_ her family. Rose, Jasper, Angela, Ben, Me. We are her family, ' _if I'm being honest_ '." God I just couldn't keep myself from saying anything and everything that was pissing me off if I tried, and I wasn't really up for trying right now.

Charlie stared at me, pale and angry. I could give a shit if this man was angry with me. The truth fucking hurts sometimes, but that doesn't mean we don't all need to hear it.

"I didn't…." he said, his voice sounding so broken. "I never thought Jake could do something like that. I asked her how she broke her arm. She said she fell…"

"Yeah, she fell when he threw her against a wall," I fumed.

His face darkened further. "He really did that to her? I'm gonna kill that little shit!" he growled. "I didn't know, but you're right, I don't think I wanted to see that. I wanted her to stay so badly, I didn't want to see her reasons for leaving…" His brow furrowed and he sank into his thoughts.

His phone chimed in his pocket a few minutes later, interrupting his brooding. "Rose is ready if you want to head up. She said Renee's just been ignoring her. So that's good I guess." His voice sounded hollow and dead. I didn't say anything, just followed him toward the elevators, desperate to see my Bella.

 **BPOV**

"Hi chica," Rose said gently. I felt something soft brushing in my hair and it felt heavenly. I was so tired, but Rose was taking care of me, yet again.

"I've missed you," she said quietly. Her voice sounded strained, sad. "You need to wake up for me okay?"

She kept brushing my hair gently with her fingers. Her soft hand felt so nice as it glanced across my forehead.

"Just try to wake up for me okay? For everyone.

"Edward's falling apart and he's really annoying when he's agitated, did you know that?" she chuckled, but it was a tense sound. "He can't sit still. He's down there pacing like a caged lion or something. Jasper wanted to take him outside and give him some weed to calm him down. It took me a while to talk him out of that one, not that your man would go for it or anything. Damn my brother's an idiot sometimes. Imagine Edward meeting the Chief while high…"

I heard her sniffling and I wanted to comfort her, but I wasn't sure how. I was so tired and her voice was starting to sound so muffled and far away.

"Everyone's here waiting for you and we all need to see you. We all love you so much, B. Please wake up for us." She sounded so upset. I wanted to do what she asked, but my body felt so heavy…everything was so heavy…

…

…

…

"Bella, Baby. I love you so fucking much. Please wake up beautiful." I hated the pain in Edward's voice. God he smelled so good. So much better than the horrible smell before. What was that? Was he cleaning his house with something harsh, like ammonia maybe? I could still smell it, but he was close so his scent was masking it, thank god.

I wanted to see his face. I wanted to take the pain from his voice.

"Sweet girl, you need to open those beautiful brown eyes for me. Please…" Was he crying? I needed to get to him, to hold him. Why was he crying? "Baby…I can't fucking lose you. Please don't leave me, Love. It will fucking break me for good if you do." No, I would never leave you, Edward. Why would I ever leave you?

I felt his hand holding onto mine firmly. I felt his head resting over it, leaning down onto my side. I could feel him shake and hear his sobs, but I didn't know how to get my body to listen to me. Everything was so blurry and grey and my body felt so heavy. How could I let him know I could hear him if my body wouldn't listen to me? His tears were hot on my skin and I absolutely hated the pain that I could feel coming off of him.

Why couldn't I get my body to listen? I wanted to comfort him, to hold him. What the hell was wrong with me? Panic filled me as, again and again, I tried unsuccessfully to get my body to cooperate with me.

I heard a beeping noise fill the room, followed by louder, faster beeping. The weight that had been resting against my side was suddenly gone and Edward's sobs were stopped with a gasp.

"What is that? Call the nurse." Edward said frantically.

"Uh…You'd think they'd be watching this stuff-" I heard my mother say. When did she get here?

"Excuse me, you need to step outside," I heard a new voice say.

"What's wrong with her? Is she okay?" Edward asked, panicked.

"Sir, you need to step out for a minute so I can take care of Isabella," the strange woman said, firmly, but kindly.

I still struggled to get my body to do what I wanted. My limbs wouldn't lift off the bed. My eyelids felt like they'd been glued shut and my throat was dry and scratchy. It was like I was waking from a long sleep only my body didn't get the memo.

"Her heartrate is elevated." Bright light filled my eyes and then faded away quickly "Page Doctor Long. She asked to be paged if there was any change…" The voices in the room grew distant until I couldn't make out what they were saying anymore…

…

…

…

My head was pounding. Fucking Rosalie. I really couldn't remember anything this time. How had she gotten me to get this drunk with her again…shit. I hated not being able to remember…

God, what was that annoying beeping? It was relentless. And why did my body hurt like this? I took a deep breath, which hurt like a bitch, and cracked my eyes a bit to assess the damage.

The room was dimly lit, but it wasn't at all what I was expecting and what I found only confused me. My half closed eyes scanned back and forth across the room trying to make sense of the scene before me. I was in a hospital bed, so my headache was likely from something other than tequila. My eyes moved down to the figure slumped over on the bed beside me. Relief washed through me at the sight of him and without thinking, I raised my hand and brushed it through his soft hair. He hummed in response, but didn't stir immediately. So I just continued to run my fingers through it over and over. I found it soothing, maybe he did too.

"Bella…" he breathed out in his sleep, causing a slight smile to pull at my lips.

My head was really starting to be unbearably painful. I would have to wake him soon to ask for something to ease the ache. But the inevitable noise that would come when he woke sounded dreadful at the moment. I liked this bit of quiet we were in.

"Baby?" his slightly more coherent voice asked. Edward lifted his head from the bed beside me, looking around disoriented. His bloodshot eyes fell on me and widened. His face looked horribly drawn and pale, his eyes were swollen and red. "Bella! Oh my god Baby, you're awake!" he gasped, relief and wonder coloring his voice.

His hand touched my cheek gently, lovingly, but as if I was made of the most delicate glass.

"Bella can you talk to me? Are you okay?" he asked uncertainly, tears filling his eyes. "Baby we've been so worried. I'm so happy to see you awake."

I tried to speak, but my voice broke in my throat. I swallowed painfully and tried again. "Water?" I asked.

"Of course," He said jumping up and pressing something on the wall next to me. "I'm just go get someone—"

"No," I croaked out. "please…don't go." I couldn't understand what was happening, but I hated the idea of him leaving me here alone. My heart raced at the thought.

He sat back down and scooted his chair closer to the head of the bed. "Shh," he said, soothing me. "I'm not going anywhere baby. They'll come in now that I pressed the call button." He leaned down to kiss my hand as he caressed it with his thumb.

"What happened?" I asked in a whisper, just starting to come out of my confusion enough to wonder why I was here.

"You fell, baby. You had a bad fall down some stairs and you've been unconscious since yesterday." His voice quivered and I could see the toll his anxiety had taken on him. "God, Love. We've all been so worried…"

"Well, look who's awake. It's nice to finally meet you Isabella," a tall, broad-shouldered woman in bright green scrubs said as she strode into the room purposefully. She went directly toward the machines at my side and began adjusting something there.

"The doctor will be in shortly. I just paged her, but can you tell me how you're feeling?" the nurse asked.

"Thirsty," I answered. "And…my head hurts. My…everything hurts."

"Of course," she said nodding. "I just increased your pain medication. That should help soon. I'll get you some water while we wait for the doctor. She'll want to assess your cognitive abilities and they'll likely schedule another scan to make sure that you don't have any increased swelling, but the last scan looked good so I wouldn't worry too much."

"Thank you, Hope," Edward said. He was still stroking my hand and kissing it softly on occasion, his eyes fixed firmly on my face.

"You're welcome Edward. Did you want a soda or something while I'm getting Isabella some water?" she asked.

"No thank you," he replied.

"Bella," I said, my voice still scratchy.

"Excuse me?" the nurse asked kindly.

"She likes to be called Bella. Only her mother calls her by her full name," Edward explained and I was glad because it hurt to talk.

"Hmm… I see," the nurse said as she left the room. The statement seemed full of meaning I didn't understand.

"Your mother's been here almost constantly, terrorizing the staff and being generally cruel to everyone," Edward said. "You looked confused by Hope's reaction before. She's been on shift here since last night and Renee only left at eleven-thirty to head to her hotel down the street."

"What time is it?" I asked.

"Just after three AM," he said. "I should call people, but I don't want to leave you."

"Don't go, "I begged, panic rising anew in my chest at the thought of being away from him.

"I won't go, baby. I'm right here." He kept dropping soft kisses on my face and hands. His touches were so gentle I barely felt them, but I could feel his love for me in each brush of his skin on mine. "I'll call after the doctor comes, maybe while they're doing the scan. They could all use the rest anyhow."

I smiled weakly at him, wondering just what I'd put everyone through in the last day. My eyes were just beginning to get heavy again when Hope returned with my water followed by a petite, dark haired woman with wire framed glasses.

"Hello there Isabella. It's good to see you awake. You've had a lot of people worried," she said as she approached my bed. "I'm Doctor Long, the attending in Neurology. I've been monitoring you closely since last night. I would like to ask you a few questions to assess your cognitive health."

I looked at Edward and he nodded encouragingly.

"Alright," I said.

"Here, this ought to help," Hope said, holding a straw to my lips. "Slowly at first, Bella." The cool water tasted divine on my parched tongue. It took everything in me to follow her advice and keep my sips small.

"Do you prefer to be called Bella?" Dr. Long asked.

"Yes, please," I answered.

"Well then Bella, let's get started, shall we." Dr. Long proceeded to ask me a myriad of questions, testing my memory and brain function I suppose. Mostly I found it annoying and tiring. I was confused at a few points, mainly around what happened to bring me here. I really couldn't remember anything after leaving Edward sleeping in bed this morning, or yesterday morning I suppose. I was starting to get frustrated when Dr. Long asked me the same question for the third time.

"I already told you this. I don't understand why you're asking again." My voice was still weak, but it was filled with agitation. I wasn't' sure why I was reacting so strongly to her questions, but I couldn't contain my irritation. "I can't remember where I went after Edward's. I know I had to go to class, but I don't remember going or leaving the house for that matter."

"That's alright Bella," Dr. Long said gently. "You did wonderfully. Why don't you get some rest now and I'll schedule your scan for an hour from now. These next few days will be critical for you. You need to give your body time to recover. We can talk more extensively about the rest of your injuries when you've rested, but just know that everything will heal in time and I'm very pleasantly surprised with your lack of confusion this morning. I'm confident that you will recover fully in time.

"You may feel emotionally off kilter for a while. Your brain chemistry may be a bit out of whack. It's common after traumatic brain injury like this to feel not quite like yourself. Don't be alarmed, as your brain heals, so should your control over your emotions…"

I was trying to focus on her words, I was sure she was telling me something important, but all I could focus on were Edward's fingers rubbing soft circles on my forearm. My eyes began to droop and I heard the soft murmurings of voices around me as I succumbed to sleep again.

 **EPOV**

As soon as I was sure Bella was deeply asleep, I slipped into the hall to call Rose. Cell phones weren't allowed in the unit so I had to go to the outer hall. I hated being this far away from her.

"Edward. What's happened?" Rose answered after the second ring.

"She's awake. Well, she was. She's resting now, but she…" I had to pause as my voice broke. "God she seemed almost normal. She's confused about what happened yesterday, there are some holes in her memory, but the doctor seemed encouraged."

I heard Rose sobbing on the other end of the phone. When she'd gained control enough to speak she said, "Oh God, that's such a relief. I'll be down there in twenty minutes. Thank you so much Edward."

"I'll be here. Can you tell Jasper? I need to call the Chief, Ali and Emmett. I don't want to be away from her too long in case she wakes up again."

"Go back to her. I'll call everyone," she said sternly. "She needs you. I'll be there soon."

"Thanks Rose."

I slid my phone back into my pocket and made my way back into Bella's room. It was a small space and it was full of machinery making it seem even smaller. She was sleeping peacefully just as I had left her. I sat beside her and picked up her hand again. She looked so fragile. Her face was heavily bruised, she had two broken ribs and a broken bone in her forearm.

I laid my head back down on the empty space next to Bella and let exhaustion take me over. I awoke a short time later to Rose gently shaking my shoulder. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and glanced back at Bella. I wasn't sure how long it'd been, but she was still sleeping soundly.

"The nurse, Hope, said they'll be in to bring her for her scan soon. They'll let her sleep as long as she can. Do you want to stay here and rest? I can go down there with her. I don't want her to be alone."

"Sure, Rose. Thanks." The truth was I would rather go, but Rose needed to be there for Bella and I wasn't going to stand in her way. "Did you talk to the others?"

"Yes, Charlie is still downstairs, he'll be up shortly. He didn't want to leave the hospital in case Renee came back and pulled some more of her bullshit." Rose informed me. I wish I had known he was here; I would have called him a while ago. "Your brother and sister will be by later this morning. They didn't want to overwhelm her just yet. And Jasper's downstairs with Charlie now."

"Did anyone call Renee?" I asked, distaste filling my voice.

"No and none of us are going to. She can find out whenever she comes back, stupid cow." She muttered the last part, causing me to laugh lightly. She smiled at me in return.

"What's so funny?" We both turned to find a sleepy Bella watching our interaction with an amused expression.

"Rose was just being her charming self," I answered. "She called your mom a stupid cow," I admitted with a shrug.

Bella's brow furrowed. "What did she do? You said earlier that she was tormenting everyone."

I was surprised she remembered that, she'd just woken up when I'd made that comment. I was debating how honest I should be with her about her mother's behavior when Rose spoke up.

"She was guarding you like a pit bull and not letting any of us in. We were all stuck downstairs without any idea of what was going on," she explained. "Until your man here came up and worked his charm on the nurse to get us some info on your condition. Then Angela bitched out Charlie who then got on a plane and bitched out Renee before getting us in to see you."

"Charlie's here?" She asked surprised. I nodded and she closed her eyes, looking pained.

"Are you okay, Love? Do you need more pain medication? I can call the nurse," I asked.

"No. I'm okay," she said. "I'm just so sorry that Renee put you all through that. I can't believe her."

"Don't think about in now baby," I tried to soothe her. "There will be plenty of time to deal with her later. You shouldn't stress yourself out with her shit now."

"I'm sorry, B," Rose said. "I wouldn't have said anything yet, except I'm pretty sure she'll try to pull something like that again if she can. I thought you should be aware."

That made sense, but I hated to see my girl so upset right now. She needed to be resting.

"No, I'd rather know," Bella said calmly.

"Alright, Bella. Are you ready to go get some pictures taken?" Hope said brightly as she entered the room.

Bella's lips curled into a gentle, sad smile. "Can I limit who's allowed in to see me?" she asked.

Hope's eyes darted from Rose to me before returning to Bella's face. "Of course you can control who's allowed in your room. Why do you ask?"

"I don't want my mother to have access to me. Is there some form I can sign to determine who makes decisions on my behalf if I can't? It doesn't have to be a blood relative does it?" she asked. She sounded so alert, so in control of the situation.

"A health care proxy is what you're looking for," she answered. "Yes, I have a standard one I can print up for you. And no, it can be anyone you decide upon. I'd be happy to do that for you when you get back from your scan."

"Could I do it now? I don't like my parents making choices for me," she asked. "We're not close and they don't…they don't know me."

Hope looked at her for a moment and nodded as she left the room. She came back a couple of minutes later with another nurse and a stack of papers. They watched as I helped Bella fill out the form.

"There's a primary and a secondary agent. Who do you want first?" I asked.

"You, Edward. I want you." I looked up at her in surprise. I'd assumed Rose would be her primary, but I simply nodded and filled out the form, adding Rose as the secondary agent at Bella's request.

She signed it with her good hand and the two nurses signed as witnesses.

We helped Bella into a wheelchair and the room emptied out as they took her down for her scan. I sank back into the chair, shutting my eyes and trying to rest while they were gone.

 **BPOV**

"Rose, where are we going?" I asked as we made our way down a brightly lit hallway that was buzzing with early morning activity.

"They're moving you to a new room," she answered. "They don't think you need to be in the ICU anymore."

"But..Edward…" I started.

"He's already up here. We've been gone for over an hour. I'm sure he's wearing a hole in the tile by now," she said. "He's not a patient man, that man of yours."

"Yeah," I sighed tiredly. I was worn out already.

"You can go back to sleep once we get you settled," said Becky, the nurse pushing my wheelchair. Hope had stayed in the ICU. "Here we are," she said, pushing me through the doorway into a large, sunny room. It looked more like a hotel room than a hospital room.

Edward stood from where he'd been sitting near the bed. I noticed several things at once: this was a private room with a bed near a large window with a view of a courtyard, Edward must have bought out the damn florist downstairs because the room was filled with brightly filled bouquets, and surprisingly I didn't feel the urge to fight him on the expense of an extravagant room like this. Instead I felt only gratitude for his kindness and love. He must have spent a fortune on this room, because I was certain my insurance didn't cover the cost of something like this. He looked a little worried.

"Thank you Edward. This is lovely," I said to ease his mind. He instantly relaxed.

"I was afraid I'd gone too far," he confessed. "I just want you to be comfortable so you can rest and get better."

The nurse helped me into the bed and Edward helped me get comfortable.

"I got this for your downstairs. I don't know if you're hungry." He said holding up a small container from the nearby table. "It's chicken noodle. It seemed safest."

"I am a little hungry, actually. Thank you." I reached for his hand, needing the contact. "Will you help me eat a bit before I sleep some more. I'm so tired still."

"Of course baby," he sat down and opened the container of soup. It smelled way better than I was expecting. He stirred it a bit before lifting the spoon carefully to my lips. I ate a few bites before I started getting too sleepy to continue.

"Rest now, Love. I'll be here when you wake up," Edward promised. I reached for his hand again as my eyes fell shut, holding it tightly in my own. I didn't know what this neediness I was feeling was, but I couldn't seem to help it. I sank into sleep listening to him quietly humming a familiar, comforting tune.

~oo0O0oo~

"This is ridiculous. Let me in now! I want to see my daughter!" I heard my mother's voice shriek. God, why was she so loud.

"Ma'am, you're going to have to leave or I will have to call security," said a stern female voice in response. "She left explicit instructions for you to be kept out of her room. You are not allowed to enter. Please go now before I am forced to escalate this."

"You have no idea what you're talking about! She's had a serious head injury. She's not of sound mind and those people are manipulating her!"

"Ma'am. I told you that you need to leave. You've left me no option but to involve security. You have about three minutes before they arrive if you want to reconsider."

"I'm going, but you'll be hearing from my lawyer," Renee's voice echoed outside the door before I heard the fast paced clicking of heels in the hall outside.

"Well, that went better than expected," I said gaining the attention of the room. Edward was still by my side. Charlie, Emmett, Ali, Jasper and Rose were spread about the room, most of them eating from takeout containers. Chinese from the smell of it.

"You're up!" Ali chirped. "God it's so good to see you Bella!"

"Thanks Ali." I looked around, my eyes settling on my father's face. He looked different somehow, like he was seeing me for the first time in years. "Hey Charlie. Thanks for coming to deal with Renee."

"Of course I came kiddo," he said kindly. He looked pained, but I suppose seeing your daughter banged up in a hospital bed would do that to most people, despite the distance that had formed between us in recent years. "Did you want any of this food? Or something to drink?"

"A drink sounds good. Is there any soda?" I asked. "For some reason ginger ale sounds really good to me right now."

"Sure thing. I'll grab you one from the kitchen." He said as headed out of the room.

"The doctor came by while you were resting. She said as long as you're still progressing well, she'd be ready to discharge you sometime tomorrow," Edward explained, reaching over to brush the hair from my face. The simple gesture was comforting in its normalcy. I had been scared that he would always treat me like bone china, but his touch was far less careful than it had been earlier. "They want you to do some more assessment, to make sure all of your fine and gross motor skills are strong, but from what she's seen she feels comfortable sending you home soon."

"Thanks," I said softly. "I'd love to get home." I wanted nothing more than to cuddle up with Edward watching movies and napping for the next few days.

"Would you want to come home with me, baby? I'd love to have you there so I can be there for you," he asked hesitantly. It was funny how when I'd thought about going home, I'd immediately assumed I'd be at his place.

"Oh, yes," I answered. "If it's okay. That's what I was thinking already. I'd rather be with you if you don't mind."

Tenderness filled his eyes and he cupped my cheek with his hand. "I will never mind you wanting to be with me, baby. I always want you with me."

"Good. Because to me, that's home," I said simply.

He leaned over and kissed my lips softly. "My home is with you, baby. Always."

"I love you," I answered softly.

"And I love you," he said before kissing me lovingly again.

 **A/N:**

 **Fic Recs:**

 **"Alaska" by Anton M. I didn't try reading this story for a long time because the description made me think it was a different type of plot. I loved this! Loved the character development and the setting!**

 **"Where I Belong" by bnpwrites. This story is super funny and sweet. WIP, but loving it so far!**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Hi there! First of all, let me just say thank you for the super kind, thoughtful reviews this week. I love writing this story and it makes it so much more fun that people are enjoying it and have such passionate responses. So thank you!**

 **Secondly, I'm sorry for the delay, but it's starting to look like Sunday is an easier day for me to post.**

 **It's been super snowy here…yes, again. Blech. So, I could have used my forced indoor time to clean my house or do my taxes, because let's be real, I haven't done those yet. But instead I just kept writing. So expect a little mid-week update next week, because I've written a ton in the last several days.**

 **Obvs. : I don't own twilight or its characters, but I do own this little plot.**

 **BPOV**

Edward's bed was infinitely superior to the uncomfortably firm one in the hospital, no matter how expensive that room was. For one, this bed held a warm, naked, Edward who was currently deeply sleeping against my side. We'd been home for a couple of days and in that time he'd barely left me alone. My sleep schedule was still messed up. I was intensely tired at points, causing me to take long naps at odd times. This resulted in inconvenient wakefulness at other times, like right now. I'd woken up at about four this morning and since then I'd just been sitting up in bed, reading quietly, breaking my focus on occasion to watch my sexy boyfriend scrunch his face up adorably, evidence of his dreams creeping through.

It was quarter past six now and the light was just beginning to change to a dull grey. The days were starting to get a bit longer finally. Edward rolled over so that his body was facing mine. His arm flung out and encircled my thighs before he nuzzled his face against my bare skin, mumbling sweetly. He was too fucking cute sometimes.

"Baby, what are you doin' up?" he asked without opening his eyes. His hot breath tickled the skin on my leg as he spoke. "'s too early…" he dropped a sloppy kiss on my skin and promptly fell back to sleep.

My headaches had gotten a lot better over the past couple of days. I was still shying away from sudden changes in light or sound, but for the most part that pain was manageable. My bruising would take a while to heal and my stupid ulna break was annoying because of the cast, but the worst pain was from the rib fractures. I'd actually been really lucky in that all of my fractures were cracks and not more complicated breaks, but they still hurt like a bitch. I winced as I adjusted my body so that I was lying flat on the bed next to Edward. He loosened his hold as I moved and muttered some more in his sleep.

I tried to get comfortable, to see if I could sleep for a while longer. Reading had started to make my eyes tired, which would eventually lead to a new headache if I wasn't careful. I couldn't settle my mind, though, so sleep evaded me still. I found myself thinking of Charlie. Edward had told me about his altercation with my father at the hospital and of Angela's heroic rant in front of Forks PD. I would honestly have paid to see her in all her pregnant, rage-filled glory telling off the Chief of Police in our little hometown.

His behavior since I was discharged from the hospital had me feeling both confused and hopeful. Edward and Alice had offered him one of the guest rooms here if he wanted to stay for a bit. He'd accepted after several reassurances that he was welcome. He had visited with me quite a bit, both up here in the sitting room as well as downstairs when Edward helped me get down there for a change of scenery. Every interaction with my father was fraught with tension and awkwardness, but he was still here and planned to remain here for another three days.

My mother was another story all together. How bad did things have to get before you just cut ties with someone entirely…even your mother? I couldn't imagine ever getting past her behavior after my fall. Maybe in time I could forgive her, I could let go of my anger and feelings of betrayal, but I would never forget. She had headed home shortly after I was discharged. I only know this because she left me a scathing, bitter voicemail that I deleted before I'd finished listening to it.

After the sun had fully risen, I decided it was time to just give up on sleep and get up for the day. Getting up was a challenge though. Fucking rib fractures. I used all of my arm and ab strength to try and pull myself up to a sitting position. A short while later I was sitting up on the edge of the bed, panting from the effort.

"Baby, you should have woken me up. I would have helped you," I heard Edward say from the bed behind me.

"I have to learn to do things by myself. It's the only way I'm gonna get stronger," I argued.

"No, you need to heal first. You could strain something new doing that on your own," he countered gently. "Where are you going anyway? It's only seven fifteen. You should be resting, baby."

"I've been up for ages, I can't sit in bed and count sheep anymore. I have to get up and do something," I answered. "I didn't want to wake you. I was trying not to."

He chuckled softly. "Love, you were shaking the whole bed and breathing hard while you were trying to sit up. I half expected to look over and find you masturbating."

I couldn't hit him without hurting myself, so I flipped him off over my shoulder. I hid my smile from him, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of finding his joke funny.

"Seriously though, baby, you need to ask for help, just for a while longer," he pleaded. "I couldn't stand it if you hurt yourself again."

"Ugh, fine. Can you help me get up so I can go to the bathroom?" I asked reluctantly.

Instead of answering he hopped out of bed and made his way to my side. He didn't bother putting anything on and he stood beside me in all his naked glory.

"I'm enjoying the nude service here at the Cullen Rehabilitation Center, do I have to pay extra for that or is it included," I quipped as he bent to help me up from the bed.

"Oh no, nudity is complimentary in your home care, as are: personal shower assistance and massage therapy."

I winced as I stood fully. "Baby are you okay?" he fussed.

"Yeah, I'm good. It's still painful though. Let's just pray I don't get a cough or anything. That would suck."

"Don't even joke about that shit," he said seriously. "I told Ali she had to start having her meetings somewhere else until you were a little better. I don't want her to have all these people traipsing in and out of the house all day long while you're recovering."

I sighed. I knew he was just trying to be careful, but he went too far sometimes. "Edward, you can't do that to her. This is her home and her workspace. We can go to my apartment if you're worried about traffic flow and germs and all that. But Ali accepted us in without question. I don't care if you own the house, she's been living here for two and a half years. It's her home too."

His jaw was tight and he looked like he was struggling with something. "I just want to keep you safe, baby. I can't imagine if you got sick right now or if something else happened to you." He pulled me gently into his arms. He was careful with me, ever mindful of my various injuries, but he had a way of making me feel just as loved as ever in his cautious embrace.

"Let's go downstairs. I need to make breakfast," I said, changing the subject.

"You don't need to cook, Love. I can make something or we can send out for food. You shouldn't push yourself too hard."

"I know you're trying to help me, but you have to let me do some things or I'm gonna go crazy. I need to cook, as in, I need to clear my head and I find cooking relaxing. You can help me though," I said holding up my casted arm. "This whole one handed thing gets challenging."

"Okay, but you need to rest if you get tired and you have to promise not to try and lift anything or reach for anything up high," he said sternly. "Ask me for help."

"Yes sir," I said with a mock salute earning me an eye-roll and a small crooked smile.

After getting ready for the day, we made our way downstairs, slowly. I insisted on walking on my own, to Edward's great annoyance. It probably took us twenty minutes to descend the two long staircases leading to the first floor of the house. Cooking was a struggle, but I was enjoying having something to do. I was so used to having my time constantly filled between classes and my work at the lab, that having downtime like this was disorienting.

I'd been able to withdraw from my two classes this semester and take a month off from my work at the lab. Dr. Hunter had been very accommodating; both he and Dr. Banner urged me to focus on my recovery. So, I would finish out the semester working there and focusing on my thesis work. I'd be a bit behind in my program, but an extra semester made more sense than killing myself trying to catch up in my classes. It hadn't been an easy decision and Edward had been more than a little in favor of me taking time off, but it felt like the right choice now.

"Good morning kids," my father's gruff voice sounded through the kitchen.

I looked up to see him taking a seat across from us at the counter.

"You sure you should be doing all this?" he asked gesturing toward the food we were preparing. "Shouldn't you be resting and letting us all wait on you for a change."

"Charlie, I'm fine. I like to cook and besides Edward's helping me," I answered. "Now quit worrying, Edward does enough of that for the both of you."

He grunted in response and shifted his eyes toward my boyfriend. "You're not letting her do too much?"

Edward gave him a sardonic look that shouted, 'what do you think'.

"Fine," he held up his hands in defeat before helping himself to a cup of coffee.

"Bells, I'd love to talk to you a bit today, if you're feeling up to it," Charlie said nervously.

"You can talk to me now, Charlie," I said as I started opening the oven to put the quiche in. Edward snaked in front of me to do it for me. I sighed melodramatically in response, but I knew he was right; it would have been painful to bend over while holding the pie plate. I just hated feeling so dependent on everyone, even him.

My father cleared his throat and said, "I was sorta hoping to talk to you on your own, kiddo."

"Whatever you have to say to me you can say in front of Edward. We don't keep secrets from each other," I explained.

He looked uncomfortable as he mulled this over.

"It's okay baby. Why don't you take a break, sit down and talk to your father over a cup of coffee," he suggested. "I'll be back in half an hour." I nodded reluctantly in response. "Just no cooking while I'm gone, okay?"

"Fine," I agreed begrudgingly. He kissed me softly before leaving me alone with my father. I fixed myself a cup of coffee and shuffled my way over to the kitchen table and he joined me there.

He fidgeted a bit with his mug and looked up at me anxiously. From what Edward had told me, Charlie had a whole bunch of new information he was processing about me so I wasn't surprised that he wanted to talk. I just had no idea what was coming.

"Bells, I can't…I can't tell you how sorry I am for not seeing Jake for who he is and for pushing you to marry him," he started, his eyes were clouded with guilt and pain. I forced myself to listen to him, though I had no interest in scratching at this old wound. "I've been thinking a lot about what Angela, Edward and Rose have told me this week and I've come to some hard realizations. I always thought I was a decent dad to you, but I see now that I was deluding myself. I never meant to put you through the things I have.

"When you decided to leave Washington, to come out here, I couldn't understand. Looking back now, I think it brought up all these old memories of Renee rejecting me, rejecting the life I wanted for us. I can see now that I was punishing you for that, for her leaving. I never realized I was hurting you the way I was and I never knew things had gotten so bad with you and your mom…" he wiped his eyes, capturing a couple of escaped tears. I'd never seen my father cry and it was a bit unnerving.

"Charlie," I said, placing my hand over his. "I'm not going to tell you it's all okay, because it's not, but I appreciate what you're saying. I appreciate that you see how your behavior has been affecting me. That means a lot to me."

"Bella, I should have been there for you. I was resentful and hurtful toward you and you did nothing to deserve it," he continued, his voice filled with regret. "I can't take it back, Bells, but I promise I will do everything I can to make it up to you. Do you think in time you might forgive me?"

I sat stunned; I'd never heard my father say so much at once. I certainly hadn't ever heard Charlie express his emotions like this. If I had to describe him in one word, it would be stoic. He'd always been a man who kept everything inside and revealed nothing if he could avoid it.

"If you mean what you say, then yes, but I can't just forget the last few years, Charlie. It really… _you_ really hurt me. I've been lucky to find the people I have in my life, to find Rose, Edward, Jasper, Angela, Ali. If I hadn't been so lucky, I would have been completely without support these last few years. I honestly don't know what would have happened…" I trailed off, unable to fathom a world without my little hodgepodge family of friends.

"Thank you Bella. I know I have to earn back your trust and your forgiveness, and I know that will be a long road for us, but I really want to try to be worthy of those things."

He paused, debating something for a moment. "I wasn't sure if I should bring this up, but I think I have to. Your mother's behavior at the hospital is really concerning to me. She was being sociopathic, Bella and I don't have any proof, just a hunch, but I think she was trying to cause you harm." I wish I could say that the idea was shocking, but I wasn't sure anything Renee did these days could truly surprise me.

"Do you know what happened with her? When did she start to act like this?" he asked.

I sighed deeply as we moved onto another topic I hated. "I don't know Charlie. Edward and I talked about this recently and I guess things changed with us after my last visit with her just over a year ago, but I really can't think of anything specific that happened. We didn't have an argument or anything. Everything seemed normal when I left."

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Edward said from behind me. I turned to see him hovering hesitantly in the doorway. "Can I offer some insight on Renee?"

"Sure," I said, curious of what he could have to add.

He crossed the room and joined us at the table. He slid his chair close to mine and clasped his hand around mine. "So, I noticed some odd things when we had drinks with your mom and Phil…" he started carefully.

"What do you mean?" I asked. "Renee's always odd."

"Well, not just with Renee, but with Phil," he answered.

"With Phil?" I was really confused now. "Phil's always great to me. He's the only one in my family that has always cared about me. He's interested in my work and always supports me." I felt a little guilty when I saw Charlie flinch at that. I hadn't meant it as a slap in the face, but I'm sure it felt that way to him. To me it was just the truth.

"Yeah, about that…" Edward started. "I didn't want to say anything, I didn't want to ruin that for you, having someone in your family care for you like they should." He turned to my father who looked like he was going to be sick. "Sorry Charlie, but it's true." Charlie nodded curtly in response.

Edward turned toward me, lifting my hand to his lips and kissing it softly before continuing. "I'm sorry, Love, but I'm pretty sure Phil's feelings for you are…not quite platonic."

My eyebrows must have risen comically at that and a queasy feeling started to fill my belly.

"He was jealous of me, Love. It was really obvious, actually," he explained patiently. "He also held onto you longer than one would expect when he hugged you and his gaze lingered on you throughout the night. Baby, your mother got positively vicious when he showed up. I think she didn't see you much during her visit because she wanted to keep him away from you. She made plans with you when he was supposed to be busy."

I drew in a shuddering breath as I processed his words. At my silence he grew nervous, shifting in his seat slightly.

"Are you okay, Love?" he asked.

"Ummm…." I considered his question. "No. I'm not okay. I need to think this over for a while," I said, rising from the chair carefully.

"Okay, Love. I'll help you upstairs," he offered. I let him take my arm and guide me out of the kitchen. Charlie seemed as shell shocked as I was so I simply nodded at him as I left the room.

 **EPOV**

Shit. I was pretty sure I fucked things up. Bella wasn't ready to hear my theory about Phil and she seemed to be totally shutting down. It was too much at once and I should have waited to say anything. But she was so confused about Renee's behavior and it seemed so clear to me after I'd reflected on things a bit.

I led her up the stairs, noticing how exhausted she was from lack of sleep and her emotional morning. I wanted to scoop her up and carry her, but my stubborn girl wanted to do things on her own. I had to let her do as much as she reasonably could.

"Would you like to take a shower or I could help you into the bath if that sounds better?" I asked.

She looked over at me with sad, tired eyes. "I think I'd like to sleep. Can you make sure the quiche comes out of the oven? I totally forgot about it and it's probably just about done now."

"Sure, baby. You should eat something soon though," I suggested gently. "Do you need your pain meds? You should have a little something with that."

"Yeah, can you just bring me a bit of toast and I'll take my pills with that?" she asked.

"I'll be right back, okay?" I said helping her into the bed and tucking her in.

"If you're asleep when I get back, I'll leave things for you on the side table for when you wake," I said.

"Mmkay," she mumbled sleepily.

I headed back down stairs and found Charlie where I'd left him, staring into his half empty cup of coffee with a scowl on his face. He looked up when I entered the room.

"She okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think she just needs to sleep for a bit," I said as I headed to the oven to pull out the quiche Bella had made. It smelled amazing as I set it on the counter to cool. "I shouldn't have said anything to her about Phil. She's dealing with so much. I hate that I've disillusioned her. She admired Phil and I hate ruining her image of him."

" _You_ didn't ruin anything, _Phil_ did," he corrected. "You're pretty sure about him having feelings for Bella? You don't think you could be wrong about that?"

"No, Charlie. I'm pretty sure I'm right about this," I said. "The way he acted around her was…possessive and weirdly affectionate. It wasn't sexual exactly, but it wasn't at all fatherly. And think about it, Renee's resentment makes so much more sense if she discovered that he had feelings for Bella."

"I'm still shocked at the severity of her behavior," he mused. "It's not Bella's fault that Renee married a creep. He's her stepfather for Christ-sakes."

He paused, mulling something over before asking, "Did you notice that strong smell of cleaner in her room in the ICU. When I found Renee in there she was acting all strange, sort of suspiciously. There was a strong smell in there, like ammonia and when I asked her she said they'd just been in to clean. I don't know why, but I'm pretty sure she was lying."

"Do you really think she'd hurt Bella physically?" I said, alarmed at the idea that she'd been allowed alone with Bella for so long.

"I don't know. I don't want to think so, but I think we need to consider her a possible threat from here on out," he said. "And I think we have to inform Bella of my concerns sooner than later. She needs to be aware in case her mother tries to contact her again."

I pulled a in a sharp breath, trying to get my head around the possibility of Renee being more than just emotionally cruel to Bella. "Fuck…" I breathed out, pulling on my hair. "This is gonna wreck her. You can't fuck up anymore, Charlie. She needs to feel like she has some family in the world. We all love her, but she's been through too much shit to be disappointed by you again."

"Jesus, Edward! I know," he fumed. "I can't change the past, but I'm trying to fix things now. You have to give me a chance to make things right with her."

"I'm trying. I just don't want to see her crushed again," I explained working to rein in my temper.

"I know. I can see how much you love her," he conceded. "I really am trying."

I heard the front door slam followed by my sister's bubbly laughter. Ali, Rose and Jasper entered the room with a few large paper bags.

"Hi guys!" Ali said lightly. "How's our girl doing today?"

"She's okay. She didn't sleep well so she's resting now," I said. "I need to head up there and check on her actually. I promised her toast and pain meds so I better get a move on."

"We brought bagels and fixings from the deli. Oooh, did Bella make that! That looks yummy!" She said eyeing the quiche on the counter.

"Yeah, it needs to cool a bit, but help yourselves." I grabbed the toast I'd made while talking to Charlie and headed upstairs.

Bella was sleeping soundly so I left her a tray of things on the nightstand and wandered back down to the kitchen. The atmosphere was completely different when I returned. Everyone was laughing and eating around the table. Even Charlie looked a bit lighter than he had a few minutes ago.

"What? I didn't know he had a thing for her. She never said anything," Jasper exclaimed defensively.

"Please! Like she would figure that out on her own," Rose laughed. "I'm surprised she got together with this one on her own," she said pointing at me. "She never notices when men are into her. Your friend Peter flirted with her constantly for a year and she kept telling me how nice he was. Like he was always doing nice things for _all_ his friends. He never bought _me_ coffee when he just happened to be in the neighborhood!" she chuckled.

"Yeah, she can be oblivious. Peter's better off now anyhow. He could never have kept up with her. Charlotte's more his speed," Jasper reflected. "But how was I supposed to know Dr. Nerdville had a thing for her. He's all sorts of weird. Besides I only met him that one time when we picked her up from the lab last semester."

"Wait, who has a thing for Bella?" I tried to catch up in the conversation.

Rose laughed at my defensive tone. "Dr. James Hunter, her lab manager," she explained. "We stopped by Bella's lab to drop some files off for her and pick up some of her things. He was all agitated, worried about Bella, and I had to reassure him for like ten minutes before he accepted that she was okay. It would have been sweet if it weren't sort of sad.

"He's harmless, though. Don't worry. Just a case of geeky, unrequited love. She has no idea; she just thinks he's that awkward with everyone."

"Huh. She talks about him being anxious and flustered a lot. He always seems to get himself into situations that only she can fix. I was sort of wondering how they were going to survive without her," I said.

"Yeah. I think he is pretty anxious generally, but just extra when she's around," she said. "He sent those though." She pointed to a large bouquet of flowers on the counter behind me. It looked like the kind of thing you'd send to a funeral not to a girl you were interested in. I looked back at Rose who was shaking her head and laughing.

"I know, they're hideous, right?" she said. "Who knew flowers could be so ugly."

"Where do you even get something like that?" Ali asked.

"Some local place in the square sent them. I wonder if the flowers have special meanings or something," Rose pondered. "Why else would you buy something that ugly?"

"Bad taste?" Ali suggested.

"I guess," Rose shrugged. Looking up at me she said, "Anyhow, Jasper was going on and on about how she was shacking up with you and I think he crushed Dr. Hunter's geeky little heart. It was kind of cruel really. Jasper's not a subtle one."

"He didn't know she had a boyfriend?" I asked, a little hurt that she would keep me a secret.

"Don't sound so worried," Rose admonished. "She doesn't talk to her work people about her real life. She likes to keep things separate. I've only met people there because the labs we work in are so close together. I'm always forcing her to get lunch with me and stuff like that. So I've interacted with people there more than most. She still hates it when I come by, though. Probably because I'm always teasing Dr. Hunter."

"Okay. Well, that makes sense, I guess,'' I responded, slightly appeased.

A loud, obnoxious techno song drifted in from the front room causing Rose and Ali to start giggling uncontrollably.

"What the hell is that?" I asked. Jasper and Charlie looked just as confused as I did.

My brother was heralded into the room by women's voices singing "…For the douche, For the douche, For the motherfuckin' douche. Thought it was a perfect party. Now it's just a lot of Ed Hardy. This party just took a turn for the douche…"* He was stabbing his phone with his finger and screaming over it.

"Fuck! Why can't I get this to stop?" he cried. Finally the noise ended when he flung his phone across the room smashing it.

"What the hell Emmett?" I cried as his phone shattered on the kitchen counter.

"That's the third phone I've had this week!" he cried "I keep getting new ones and that song keeps setting itself as my ringtone. I can't turn the volume down on it and it rings an alarm with the same song every hour that I can't fuckin shut off! It's driving me fuckin crazy!"

I shot a look at Rose and Ali who were snickering quietly now. She just raised her brow at me, daring me to say anything, but I only shrugged in response. I didn't know how she was pulling that shit off, but I knew one thing: I'd never piss Rose off if I could help it.

 **BPOV**

"Hey baby, I brought you some food. Do you want to get up for a while and eat?" Edward's soft voice pulled me from a light sleep.

"Yeah. That'd be good. I don't want to sleep all day," I answered. "What time is it anyhow?"

"Just after eleven. I would have let you sleep, but I know you're trying to get back on a better schedule," he said, brushing the hair from my face and tucking a piece behind my ear. He helped me get out of bed and make my way to the little sitting room with a television. We'd been camping out here a lot lately.

When I'd settled comfortably on the sofa with my plate of food Edward asked, "Would you mind if Charlie joined us for a movie? He was hoping to hang out a bit if you were up to it."

"Oh, uh…sure that sounds nice actually," I said, slightly surprised. I was so used to my father's cautious distance. The idea of him wanting to spend time with me was going to take some getting used to.

"How about Super Troopers? Do you think the Chief would like that one?" he suggested, flipping through the movies available to stream.

I snorted inelegantly at his joke. "Uh, how about that one instead?" I said as he landed on an old comedy I knew Charlie loved.

"Sure, baby. It's still got the cop theme going," he laughed. "I'll run down and let him know we're ready. Do you want anything else while I'm down there?"

"Could you grab me a soda, please?" I asked.

"Ginger-ale?" he asked with a knowing smirk.

"Yes, please," I answered.

He returned a few minutes later with my father following. "Hey Bells, Edward said you got 'Blazing Saddles' up here. I haven't seen that in years."

"Yeah, I haven't either. Not since we watched it the summer before I left for U Dub," I remembered.

"Huh. I think that's the last time I saw it too," he said.

"Cool. Well grab a seat and we'll put it on," Edward said, dropping down into the seat next to me.

Just as Edward pressed play I heard my phone buzzing from the table nearby. Snatching it up I saw Ben's name on the display. "Do you mind if I grab this real quick?" I asked them.

"Go ahead, baby. We can wait," Edward answered.

"Hey Ben, what's up?" I asked.

"I'm a dad!" he cried.

"What! Already! Is everyone okay?" I asked eagerly. Ange wasn't due until late next week.

"Yes, we're all doing great. Angie went into labor early this morning and she had Christopher Lennon Cheney an hour ago. They're both resting now, but everyone's happy and healthy." He sounded both exhausted and thrilled at once.

"Oh Ben! Congratulations!" I said as I felt my eyes tearing up. "Tell Ange I'll be out there as soon as I heal up a bit more. I've got some time off of school. Maybe Edward and I can come out in a couple weeks if the doctors say it's okay."

"That'd be great B! We'd love to see you guys," he said. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm doing well. Don't worry about me. I've got a whole house full of people fussing over me," I explained. "Send me pics immediately!" I demanded.

"I'm on it," he laughed. "Let us know when you'll be out here. Take care, Bella."

"I will. Bye Ben. Love you guys!" I said hanging up.

"So….?" Edward asked.

"So, Ange had her baby. Christopher Lennon," I explained.

My phone beeped in my hand and I found a picture of a wrinkly, sweet newborn sleeping on Ange's chest. Ange's eyes were half closed and an exhausted smile graced her beautiful face.

"Look!" I showed the guys the picture of Christopher. "He's so wrinkly and cute."

"That he is, Love," Edward said, chuckling. "So we're going out there in a couple of weeks?"

"If you want," I said. "I figured without classes it wouldn't be too tough to schedule something once I'm feeling a bit better."

"That sounds good as long as the doctors say you're okay to travel," he replied.

"I'd love to see you while you're in town," Charlie said shyly. "I know you'll want to stay at Edward's place, but maybe we can meet up for dinner or I could come see you there."

"Sure Charlie, that sounds nice," I said.

I hoped he was as sincere as he seemed in his desire to rebuild our relationship. I guess only time would show me how serious he was. We started the movie as I leaned gingerly against Edward's side, trying to avoid the inevitable pain in my ribs. I winced as I found a comfortable position and he kissed my head whispering that he loved me against my ear.

I couldn't help but marvel at how strange it was to be sitting here with my father, in Edward's home, doing something as ordinary as watching a movie and eating a sandwich. I kind of liked having this little bit of normal with my father and I hoped we'd have more moments like this. This feeling of hope was new and I was a little afraid of it, but I would try to embrace it. It was the only way to give Charlie a real chance at forgiveness.

 **A/N:**

 ***** **Garfunkel & Oates – This Party Took a Turn for the Douche**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Hi friends, last week we had a little blizzard here in New England so that means lots of quality time indoors. And that's how I found myself with two and a half chapters written by Friday night last week rather than just one. Instead of sitting on the extra completed chapter for a week, I thought you might enjoy a little mid-week bonus update. So here you go.**

 **Thanks as always for the impassioned, thoughtful reviews. You make writing this super gratifying!**

 **I'm going to be shifting my postings to Sunday early in the day instead of late Saturday because it's a bit easier for me to get done. So hopefully this bonus chapter helps ease you into the schedule shift.**

 **Obvs. : I don't own twilight or its characters, but I do own this little plot.**

 **BPOV**

Entering Forks again so soon was unexpectedly exciting. I couldn't wait to meet little Topher, as Ange and Ben had taken to calling my honorary nephew. He would be three weeks old in a couple of days and I was beyond excited to hold him for the first time. It was probably the first time in years that I didn't dread coming here. I wasn't overly excited at the possibility of running into Jacob or Leah, but the attractions were worth the risk.

As Edward navigated the slick roads on the outskirts of town, I gazed out at the dreary grey afternoon. The past few weeks had been oddly relaxing. Charlie's visit had ended and we'd been calling and emailing since he'd left. He checked up on me every few days in one way or another, which was sort of a nice change.

Edward had been working a lot, finishing up his film project. He needed to fly to New York on our way home to record the final score with live musicians, but the director and producer were thrilled with his work on the film. We would spend a few days in New York while he worked and I was excited to see the city again. I'd only been once and there was so much more to do and see there.

"How are you feeling, Love? Has traveling made you sore at all?" Edward asked as he made the turn down the long drive leading to the house.

"I'm fine, just ready for a stretch. How about you, are you ready for this?" I asked.

"Yeah, I really think I am," he said serenely. I was so proud of him. He'd been seeing a therapist twice a week and she felt that this was an important step in his grieving process. He parked the car in front of the elegant house I'd only seen from a distance. The house was a lovely mix of antique farmhouse and contemporary additions. It could look really wonky if done wrong, but Esme Cullen had known what she was doing when she helped design this enchanting home.

I squeezed Edward's hand where it rested on his leg. He turned to look at me, trepidation flashing in his eyes. "You can do this," I encouraged. "And if you really don't want to, we don't have to do this now. We can stay at the motel by the highway or that little bed and breakfast if they have space."

"No, you're right. I can do this," he said, more to himself than to me.

We stepped out of the car and I raised my arms overhead, stretching my sore muscles. The muscles around my ribs were still healing, but I had most of my mobility back. It was a relief to be able stretch my back and not cringe in pain. I followed Edward up the wide, granite steps and waited while he turned the key in the lock.

He pushed the door open slowly and stood for a moment staring at the entryway. Stepping with great deliberateness he entered the front hall. I hung back, wanting to give him a moment to himself to process everything, but he reached back searching for my hand with his own. I stepped forward, threading my fingers through his and trying to offer him any support I could.

The house was clean, Ben had been keeping things dusted since they'd been taking care of the place. All the furniture had been uncovered for our arrival, but Edward said he normally left everything draped in protective covers to preserve the fabrics and cut down on dust. His mother had taken such care in selecting everything in the house, I think maintaining her things was a way for him to honor her memory.

He pulled me gently, further into the house, shutting the door behind us. Ben must have turned the heat on for us because it was warm and welcoming. Edward led me through several formal rooms, which were elegant, but comfortable for entertaining. We passed through a small hallway and entered a lovely library. He brought me to an oversized sage colored chair that looked like the perfect spot for curling up with a good book on a rainy day.

"Sit and I'll start a fire," he said.

I did as he asked and sat in the cozy chair while he found what he needed already arranged by the hearth. Ben had been busy readying this place for our arrival. I had a feeling he wanted to do anything he could to feel like he was earning the generous salary Edward was paying him. In just a few minutes he had a fire blazing in the hearth. He brushed the dust off of his hands as he stepped over to me before squeezing in next to me on the large chair. Pulling me onto his lap, he buried his nose in my hair and held me tight against him. The setting and our position here by the fire reminded me so much of the night we met it was overwhelming for a moment. Things had changed so much in the past two months since we'd found each other. It was hard to remember a time before Edward was in my life, but somehow that was only two months ago.

"Thank you for being here for me," he said, pulling me close against his chest. We sat back in the chair, reclining slightly and snuggling together listening to the popping and hissing of the flames. I could tell that he needed this, needed some quiet time to adjust to being here again, so I just sat with him, pressing kisses to his sweater-clad chest.

At some point I must have fallen asleep because I was awoken a bit later by Edward's gentle voice. "Baby, we should get over to Ben and Angela's," he whispered. I shivered against him. I must have been sleeping longer than I thought because the fire was out and the room had chilled a bit because of it.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"It must be about five," he answered. "Do you mind if I show you the rest of the house later? I think this was enough for me for now. Ben said they'd get something for dinner. We should head over there and then we can come back later to sleep. I'll give you a proper tour in the morning if that's okay."

I pulled myself away from his body so I could see his face. "Of course. You're handling this really well so far. One step at a time." He nodded in response before lifting me from the chair as he stood. I yelped in surprise and quickly wrapped my arms around his neck to steady myself.

"Come on sweet girl, let's go meet your new Godson," he said as he walked us toward the front door.

"I can't wait!" I said brightly. I'd pushed aside my excitement for a time because Edward had needed my support, but now that it was time to meet little Topher, my stomach was buzzing with anticipation. I hopped down from his arms as we reached the door. We laced our fingers together and walked out toward the cottage. Ben swung the door open just as we were mounting the steps.

"Hey guys! You made it!" he said with a giant, tired smile.

"Hey Ben," I said, pulling him in for a hug. "How's fatherhood treating you?"

"It's great. Freaking exhausting, but great," he answered. Pulling back to shake Edward's hand he added. "Did you know babies don't sleep for more than a few hours at a time? So that's fun!"

"Yeah, Ben. I think everyone knows that," I answered laughing. He led us into the house.

"Well, I read about it, but living it is a whole other thing," he defended.

"Angie will be down in a few minutes," he explained. "They were just finishing cleaning up a little for dinner."

We followed him into the living room where he had a fire going. The room looked so similar to when I last saw it, but so changed at the same time. Pictures of the Webber and Cheney families graced the walls and mantles. Little decorative touches like throw pillows and vases were familiar to me from Ben and Ange's last home. It was an odd blending of places, but it was homey and it worked.

Edward and I settled onto the couch facing the fire. He turned to Ben saying, "Thank you for preparing the house so nicely for us, Ben. You didn't have to go to all the trouble, but it was really welcoming."

"Gotta earn my keep somehow," Ben joked. "You guys want something to drink? Water, beer, coffee?"

"Sure, I'll just have some water, but I can get it myself," I answered.

"Nah, I got it. Edward?"

"A beer sounds good. Thanks," he replied.

Just as Ben was returning with our drinks I heard Ange coming down the stairs. I hopped up, too excited to sit any longer. She rounded the corner into the room and my heart melted at the site of my best friend holding her new baby.

"Oh Ange!" I gushed. "You're a mom! He's so beautiful."

She giggled softly and walked closer to me so I could get a proper look at the sleeping bundle in her arms.

"Topher meet your Godmother, Auntie Bella," she said softly.

I wiped a tear from my cheek and just marveled at his perfection. His little pink face was scrunched up and his head was covered in an impressive mop of dark brown hair. He snuggled closely to his mother and they both looked so content where they were.

"Do you want to hold him?" she asked.

I hesitated. "I do…but I don't want to break him. He's so tiny. I've never held a baby that small before."

"Come sit down and I'll help you," she encouraged.

She guided me to the couch and when I was settled there she placed him gently in my arms. I'd never had much contact with babies, being from a small family and all, so this was all new to me. I sat staring in awe at the little guy in my arms. I was expecting him to fuss when he left his mother's hold, but he snuggled into me sweetly and I sighed in contentment at the sight.

I looked up at Edward and he had an oddly tender expression in his eyes. I held his gaze for a minute, trying to read what I saw there. It took me a moment, but I recognized longing and wistfulness in his eyes and my chest tightened unexpectedly. I hadn't really considered that Edward might be ready for things like kids. Having babies was so far off my radar at this point that it would never have occurred to me. But Edward was so much older than me. Maybe this was something he wanted. Was it something I wanted?

My mind was buzzing and I was distracted all throughout our quiet dinner. I couldn't shake the feeling that I would be depriving Edward of something he wanted, something he was eager for, if I wasn't really ready for kids anytime soon. I was only twenty-one and I was working hard to achieve my academic goals, to establish myself in my field. I wasn't really in a good place to think about something like that. But maybe in a few years… Would he want to wait that long? Would he mind having kids in his forties? We'd only been together for a couple of months; however intense things between us were, he couldn't be thinking of things like marriage and kids yet, could he?

 **EPOV**

I couldn't deny that seeing Bella with a baby in her arms did something to me that I wasn't expecting. I could see her, so clearly in my mind, holding our own children, nursing them, loving them. She'd be such a wonderful mother. I wasn't foolish enough to think she'd be ready for that yet, but I could hope for it one day.

I could tell she was freaking out now though, probably at my reaction to her holding little Topher. I couldn't contain my wonder, though, at the sight of her holding the little guy. It just looked so right.

We were walking back to the main house after a subdued dinner. Angela and Ben were both sleep deprived and we left them to rest as soon as we finished helping with the dishes. Bella had been unusually quiet all evening. I stopped suddenly on the path between the houses and she looked up at me curiously when I turned her to face me.

"What has your head spinning so wildly? You seem completely lost in there," I asked, tucking a stray hair behind her ear and caressing her cheek.

A confused scowl graced her brow as she met my eyes. "I just….is that something you want?" she asked gesturing toward the cottage behind her.

"What, a life in sunny Forks?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood. "Nah, I've had enough of this weather to last me a lifetime."

She narrowed her eyes at me, clearly annoyed at my lame attempt at humor. "You know, babies. A family. Is that something you see for us?" she asked shyly.

"Baby, I love the idea of having a family with you," I confessed. "Is that something that you might want with me one day?"

She looked so scared as she held my gaze. "I don't know. I never really thought about all this," she said waving a hand toward the cottage. "Marriage and kids seemed so far away, but for you…you might want that soon. Do you, want that soon? Because I don't think I'm ready for that yet. I have school and I have to figure out what I'm doing with my degree and I'm only twenty-one, Edward. I'm not ready to be a mom yet!" her voice was getting higher and starting to tremble as she spoke.

"Bella, baby. Calm down. Please," I begged, stroking her back soothingly. She sounded like she was about to hyperventilate. "First of all, I want you. Only you. I would be happy forever with you even if you never wanted a family. I'm just so happy that I found you, Love. I never dreamed that I could have what we have."

I felt some of the tension leave her body as I spoke. "Secondly, though I would love to have children with you, I would wait a lifetime for you to be ready. And if you're never ready, I won't be disappointed. You are enough. I never thought I'd get to be a dad. I never thought I'd have a relationship that made me want that. After things went to shit with Tanya, I never expected to put myself out there again."

"You say that now, and I believe you mean it. I just don't want you to have any regrets later," she said. "I couldn't stand it if you grew to resent me."

"I could never resent you for being open with me about what you want and need in our relationship," I said, pulling her closer in my arms. She shivered against me. "Let's go in and get a fire going. I can show you the whole house in the morning."

We found our way back to the library. Bella snuggled up with a blanket on the big chair while I got the fire going again. She seemed lost in her thoughts and I left her to process our earlier conversation. I'd meant what I'd said. I honestly hadn't given that much thought to having a family before. But with Bella in my life, I found myself yearning for things I'd never imagined I'd want.

"It's not that I don't want kids with you," Bella said, breaking the silence in the room. "It's more that…well, it all scares me, I guess. I'm not sure I know how to be a mom. Look at my parents. They suck. What kind of parent would I be?"

I got up from my crouch in front of the hearth and walked over to her. Pulling her from the chair, I situated her across my lap, a position I'd grown fond of. Her head was down and her eyes were distant. I lifted her face, forcing her to meet my gaze.

"Bella, you would be a phenomenal mother. You are the most loving, generous person I've ever met," I assured her. "Sure your parents were terrible examples, but that only taught you what truly matters in life. You give so much love those you care for. There's a reason so many amazing people love you fiercely the way we do. You inspire that in the people you care for.

"Now, whatever we decide about having a family, and of course it's a ways down the road, we won't do it out of fear or insecurity. If we decide we don't want to have kids, it'll be because that's the right choice for us, not because you don't think you'd be good at it. Because, baby, you're amazing at whatever you put your mind to."

"Your confidence in me is more than I deserve," she said softly.

"No, it's not," I argued. "I don't think we need to delve so far into this now. I have no hopes of impregnating you immediately, though I wouldn't mind practicing." I waggled my eyebrows at her, Groucho Marx style earning me a sweet giggle.

"You're such a dork," she said giving me a soft kiss.

"You're the one who loves me. What does that say about you?" I teased.

"That I'm a dork too, I suppose."

We stayed by the fire for a while, talking about random things and making plans for the rest of our visit in Forks. When it got late and the fire died out, we made our way upstairs to my old bedroom. It wasn't as painful being back here as I was expecting. Spending the last couple of months away from here and with the people I loved had helped me more than I'd realized. It was still sad being here, remembering my mother's final months in this house, but I could now be here without constantly reliving that pain. I didn't see my mother's withering body in my mind at every turn. I didn't hear her soft wheezing and struggle for breath as I passed her room.

"You okay?" Bella asked as we were sliding into bed.

"Yeah, I am actually," I answered. "It's still hard being here, but nothing like it used to be. Thank you for being here with me. It makes everything so much easier." I tugged her gently so that she lay snugly against my side.

"Where else would I be?" she asked rhetorically. Pulling herself up, she stretched her neck out so she could reach my lips. Our kiss was soft, tender and full of promises unspoken. We'd stumbled into a conversation tonight that didn't need to happen for ages, but I was glad that I had a better understanding of where her head was at. Bella seemed so confident and capable all the time, it was easy to forget that she had deep insecurities about some things. Her fear of failing as a mother made so much sense now that she'd shared it with me. I just hoped she wouldn't let it hold her back from trying if that was what she truly wanted.

Bella bit down slightly on my lower lip and she moaned against my mouth as our kiss deepened. We hadn't made love since her fall. To be honest, I knew it was my fear of hurting her that was holding us back. I couldn't stand the idea of causing her pain or setting back her healing at all. She had just recently stopped grimacing every time she got out of bed on her own. I knew she was stronger now and the doctors had said she was ready to renew most physical activity. They still wanted her to wait another few weeks, until after her cast came off, before she started martial arts classes again. But Dr. Long had specifically said that sex would be alright as long as we were careful. I just couldn't help holding back; seeing her broken in the hospital wasn't something I'd easily forget.

Bella suddenly climbed up so that she was straddling my hips without breaking our kiss. She ground her hips into mine as she pushed up the t-shirt I was wearing. I'd taken to wearing pajamas to bed the last couple of weeks; it was too hard to resist her when we were both tangled up naked at night. She broke our kiss to lift my shirt off over my head. I leaned up to help her. She quickly whipped off her own tank top and then started pulling at the drawstring of my pants.

"Baby, what're you doing?" I asked breathlessly.

"What's it look like? I'm taking control and seducing my sexy as fuck boyfriend," she said while lifting off me and tugging off her sleep shorts and panties in one go.

"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked, worried as usual, but I was having a tough time thinking because she'd started stroking me through the thin material of my pants.

It had been almost a month since we'd made love and I was aching for her. I'd taken care of her on several occasions, not being able to resist going down on her. I loved the feel of her trembling beneath my lips as she called out my name in passion. I hadn't let her reciprocate though, afraid she'd hurt herself. She had told me on several occasions that I was ridiculous, but I couldn't help but be apprehensive.

Instead of answering my question she divested me of my pants and continued stroking me. My head fell back and I groaned at the feel of her soft hand on my hard cock. Before I could question things further, I felt her sinking down onto me. The feel of her slick heat surrounding me nearly had me coming undone instantly.

"Fuck baby," I said, thrusting my hips up to meet her own. "You feel fucking unbelievable." I gripped her hips and guided her as she moved over me.

"Yessss!" she hissed. "need you so much!" She threw her head back as she rocked her hips, lifting up and sinking down on me over and over.

"Not gonna last long baby…" I nearly growled out. She began moving faster over me. She looked stunning like this, nearly lost in her passion. Soft moans fell from her lips as I slid my hand over to give her clit some attention.

"Oh God! Baby!" Bella shouted as her movements became forceful and erratic over me. I was beyond reason and my hips thrust up harder than I probably should have. I felt her walls begin to clench around me as she shook with the force of her climax. I couldn't hold on after that and I let go, feeling the heat and pleasure wash through me as my body tensed in one last powerful thrust.

She dropped down, her head resting on my chest as we both fought to control our breathing.

"Bella, baby are you okay? Did I hurt you?" I asked slightly panicked.

She chuckled weakly. "No. I'm so far from hurt it's not even funny," she said. "We need to do more of that soon. I cannot go that long without feeling you inside me."

I let out a long breath in relief and held her close against my chest. "I need you too. I nearly lost it the second I was inside you. You have no idea."

"Oh, I have some idea," she said, lifting her head to kiss my lips tenderly. "I love you so much."

"And I love you," I said, kissing her once more before pulling out of her. She lifted off of me and burrowed down into my side. She was asleep before I'd gotten the chance to ask her if she'd like to shower with me. Getting up now seemed an impossibility so I pulled the soft quilt up over us and savored this moment, holding my love sleeping safely in my arms.

 **BPOV**

Our visit to Forks was passing more quickly than I'd expected. I'd always sort of suffered through my time here and it had gradually gotten worse over the years. Now, with Edward by my side and Ben and Ange's new little family to spend our time with, it all seemed to be flying by. Not to mention Charlie's surprising follow through on his promise to spend time with me while I was in town. He'd come by on our second day here for a short visit. He met little Topher and had taken a walk with me and Edward on one of the trails near the house. It had been really nice to spend time with him away from his new family. We hadn't really had that in years.

"What time are we supposed to meet Charlie?" Edward asked as he stepped out of the bathroom. His skin was damp from his shower and his towel hung low on his hips.

"Stop looking at me like that or we're gonna be late," he chided with narrowed eyes.

"What, we have an hour," I argued stepping slowly toward him. "That's enough time."

"No, it's not and you know it," he said. "I'm not showing up late to meet your father because I was defiling his only daughter. He'll know and it'll be all kinds of awkward."

"Since when do you care what Charlie thinks of you?" I asked.

"Since you two started getting along so well," he responded. "I don't want to disrupt that. Now go hop in the shower so we're not late." He threw my towel at me and I caught it just before it hit me in the face.

I shook my head at his antics as I walked past him into the bathroom. I swatted his ass as I passed causing him to yelp in surprise. I wish I could say that I was exaggerating my desire for him, but I'd been completely insatiable since we'd renewed our sexual activity. Three and half weeks was a torturously long period to go without, even if I'd spent most of it in pain.

We pulled up in front of the Lodge an hour later just as Charlie's cruiser pulled into the spot next to us. I was surprised to see my old truck in the lot nearby.

"Is Seth joining us?" I asked Charlie as I got out of the car. I was slightly apprehensive at the idea of seeing more of my step family even if Seth had always been kind to me.

"Yeah, I hope that's okay," he said rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "He overheard me telling Sue that I was having lunch with you guys today and he badgered me until I let him come along. Don't worry, it'll just be the four of us."

"Okay," I said as we walked into the restaurant, "as long as it's just Seth. It'd be nice to see him. We didn't get to catch up much over Christmas."

We found Seth sitting in a booth in the back near the bar. He was engrossed in something on his phone and didn't notice us until Charlie smacked him lightly on the head.

"What the hell," he said rubbing his head.

"Get your nose away from that thing and say hello to your sister," Charlie uttered. "Can't believe I let you take a half day of school. What was I thinking?"

"Hey Bella!" Seth said, standing from the booth. He seemed to be even taller than when I'd last seen him. His shoulders were slightly broader. It was sort of easy to imagine the intimidating man he might be one day. He pulled me into a tight hug. "It's good to see you. Sorry Christmas sucked so much. I'm a little slow to pick up on all this drama sometimes. I never knew Leah was such a raging bi—"

"SETH!" Charlie barked out, cutting him off.

"Sorry, I meant unpleasant person. I never knew she was such a horrible, ugly, unpleasant person." He gave me a huge cheeky grin before turning his gaze toward Edward who was standing quietly behind me. "So you're the new boyfriend, I guess." He stretched out his arm to offer his hand to Edward.

He accepted it and said, "I suppose so. I'm Edward."

"Seth. Good to meet you."

"Listen this is all very touching, but could we maybe sit down now," Charlie asked. "We're taking up this whole section just standing around like this."

"Chill Pops, there's like five people in here," Seth laughed and rolled his eyes at my father.

We all slid into the booth, Edward and I across from Charlie and Seth.

"So kiddo, you guys head to New York tomorrow night?" My father asked.

"Uh, we head to Seattle tomorrow night and fly out the following morning," I explained "Edward has to be in New York for the rest of the week and then we head back to Boston on Sunday. I start back at the lab on Monday afternoon."

"You feel ready?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm ready. I'm hoping with the extra time I have, I can get a jump start on my own research," I said. "This might be a good thing for me in the long run."

"Well, that's a good attitude at least," my father said. He'd been trying to take more of an interest in my work, though he had no understanding of the technical aspects of what I did, he was at least trying to understand the things that he could.

"What can I get you guys? Oh hey Chief, Seth…Bella. Who's your friend?" I looked up to see Jessica Stanley with a predatory gaze fixed on Edward. Angela wasn't lying; she really had turned into a Lauren clone: fake nails, fake blonde hair, fake tits. It was kind of sad really. She had been such a pretty girl from what I remembered. Something about her lips looked just off. Like they were an inhuman shape and texture.

I realized belatedly that she was waiting on me to answer her question. "Oh, hi Jessica. I almost didn't recognized you. You look…great." I lied, but what was I supposed to say, really?

"Thanks!" she beamed.

I figured I could just ignore her question about Edward. She'd likely forgotten it after I'd complimented her new look. "Could I have a ginger-ale and the turkey club please?"

"Oh, sure. And what would you like…?" She turned her mascara laden eyes toward Edward again. He seemed to be struggling to suppress his laughter.

"I'll have a water and a cheeseburger, please."

"Sure thing! You just let me know if you need anything else." She picked up our menus and began to turn to leave.

"Uh, Jessica?" my father said.

"Yeah Chief?" she asked.

"Can we order too while you're here?" he said gesturing between himself and Seth.

"Oh, sure! Sorry," she said, turning back toward our table. Her lack of embarrassment made me wonder how often things like this happened to her.

After she'd taken the rest of our orders and left, Seth erupted in to laughter. "You went to school with her? She looks like that lady who tried to surgically turn herself into a Barbie doll."

"She didn't look like that the last time I saw her. She's actually really nice, just not so bright."

"No shit!" Seth laughed.

"Language Seth!" Charlie chastised.

"Sorry Pops," he said insincerely.

We spent our lunch laughing over Seth's stories about his friends on the Res and the stupid things they got themselves into. He was such a good kid. There was no bullshit with Seth; he was just open and honest and kind. How he and Leah shared so much DNA was beyond me.

"It was good to see you," I said pulling Seth into a strong hug as we were approaching our rental car. "Don't be a stranger. You have my number, right?"

"Yeah, I'll call you," he promised. "I was thinking that maybe I could come out and visit you for a week or two this summer…if you'd be up for that." He sounded nervous, like he thought I would reject him.

"That sounds awesome Seth. I'm sure we can figure something out," I said, pulling back from our hug.

"Okay, cool," he said, rocking back on his heels.

"Take care of Big Red for me," I said pointing toward the truck.

He laughed and nodded, "Sure thing Sis."

My father pulled me into a hug. "We'll talk next week when you get back, alright?" he said. "Take care of yourself kiddo."

"Will do Charlie," I assured him.

We said the rest of our good-byes and headed back to spend the afternoon with Ange and Topher until Ben got home from work. I'd been cooking up a storm, trying to pack their freezer with things that were easy to heat up. So we swung by the little grocery shop in town to pick up a few more things on our way back.

"Baby, do you really need five different kinds of cheese?" Edward asked incredulously.

I gave him a disbelieving look, "Are you really questioning my culinary genius?" I asked, knowing full well that he was just sick of shopping.

"No. I will never doubt your skills in the kitchen," he said. Slipping his arms around my waist, he pulled my back against his chest and whispered huskily in my ear, "And we both know you have a wide and varied array of skills in the kitchen…"

"Mmmm. Maybe we need a detour to the house before we go see Ange and Toph." I said, leaning back into his firm chest.

He nibbled lightly on my ear before saying, "I think that can be arranged."

"Oh good God! That is disgusting!" I heard one of my least favorite voices shriek. I sighed, keeping my eyes closed for longer than necessary before turning to face one of the few people in this world that I truly hated.

"Hello Leah," I said evenly. I felt Edward's frame stiffen behind me, but I twined our fingers together and squeezed his hand to reassure him. "Is there something you needed?"

"What the hell are you doing here? I thought you fell down a flight of stairs or something. Charlie made it sound like you were on your deathbed. Figures you were exaggerating to get attention," she seethed. Her face was so twisted with bitterness and all I could see when I looked at her was the ugliness within her pouring out. She was a physically beautiful girl with high cheek bones, dark features and russet skin, but she couldn't keep the repulsiveness of her true self from shining through.

"Don't worry. We'll be leaving tomorrow," I said coolly. "I have no interest in invading your territory Leah. We just came to meet Angela's baby."

"Oh god! The geeks procreated, hooray!" she sneered.

"Good-bye Leah," I said, pushing our cart away from her as quickly as possible and tugging Edward behind me. I had hoped she'd just let it go, though I knew better.

"That's right bitch, keep runnin'!" she shouted after us. I just hoped she wouldn't follow. I guided us swiftly to the checkout and started stacking things on the conveyer belt. Edward caught on to my eagerness to leave the store and began helping me empty the cart.

"Are you okay without the rest of the things on your list?" he asked. "I could run and get them if you want."

"No, I've got most of what I wanted. It's not worth the risk of dealing with her more than necessary," I answered. "I wouldn't let her drive me out of here if I really needed something. I just didn't want to let her get to me. She's not worth my anger or my time. Honestly, I feel sorry for her."

"Sorry for her?" he asked skeptically.

"She's a sad, bitter, ugly person who will only become uglier in time," I explained. "I can't help but pity her and the life she's choosing with Jacob. Hopefully she'll get out of that relationship before he shows his true colors. I wouldn't wish abuse on anyone, not even Leah."

 **EPOV**

I just nodded at her statement, standing in awe yet again of her capacity for empathy. Bella's ability to see through the bullshit right to the core of things was amazing. She was truly the best person I'd ever known. My mother would have absolutely loved her. Grabbing several paper shopping bags before she could try to take them, I led her out of the store. She was right, if we lingered here another incident with Leah was inevitable and not worth stressing out over.

The car ride was quiet and we pulled up in front of the cottage a short time later. It was an unusually warm, sunny March day and Ange was out on the porch with a baby monitor in one hand and a steaming mug in the other.

"Hey guys!" she said brightly as we approached with our groceries. "More cooking? I can't believe there's more room in that freezer!"

"Oh there's room. I'm leaving you well stocked," Bella assured her.

"I'm sure you are," Ange laughed. "Any plans for making some of your fabulous cinnabons before your departure?"

"I could be persuaded," Bella answered.

"Oh, what do I need to bribe you with?" she asked curiously. "I can't think of anything I have that you need."

"I just want some snuggle time with my Godson and assurances from you that you'll try to visit when he's old enough to make the flight. Pretty, pretty please."

"You know both of those are already a sure thing, right?" Angela said, giggling.

"Well then so are your cinnamon rolls," she said.

Bella and I made our way in to put away the food. "Go hang out with Angela," I suggested. "I'll put this stuff away."

"You sure?" she asked, not wanting me to be stuck doing menial tasks, I'd imagine.

"Yes. Now go," I said. "I'll bring you some tea in a few minutes."

"Thank you, Babe. You're the best," she said, leaving me with a kiss.

About halfway through putting the food away I heard soft cries coming from the living room. Angela must have collected the waking baby because the cries became whimpers before quieting completely. I found the girls in the living room. Bella was holding the baby who was content and surprisingly alert for a newborn. He was gazing at her with wonder, likely wearing a similar look to one I wear when I gaze at her gorgeous face.

"I don't want to say goodbye," Bella cooed down at his little face. "You're gonna be so big by the next time I see you, little man."

"I know. He already looks so much bigger than me and he's only a few weeks old," Angela agreed. "I can't imagine what a few months of growing is gonna do."

"You better send tons of pictures," Bella demanded.

"I will, B. Don't worry," Angela assured her.

"Here's your tea, Love," I said placing the steaming mug on the table next to Bella.

"Thank you. Do you want to hold him for a bit?" She asked.

"Sure, but he looks so happy with you," I answered.

She laughed, "He does, doesn't he?"

She leaned over and carefully handed me the tightly swaddled Topher. He seemed unconcerned about the transfer, merely a change of scenery to the little guy. I'd gotten used to holding him over the last few days, but the first moment I had him in my arms I was terrified that I'd hurt him somehow. I was glad I felt more confident now as I looked down at his sleepy face.

I wasn't lying when I told Bella that I'd count myself lucky to have a life with her whether children were a part of it or not. But I couldn't deny that something had been awakened in me this past week. I had a new, strong desire to have a family with Bella and I did hope she'd get to where I was in time. The way she held Topher and the look in her eyes when she was with him made me think that she just might.

 **A/N:**

 **You can read the name Topher however you'd like, but in my mind it's pronounced like tougher because it's short for Christopher, rather than rhyming with gopher as I've sometimes heard this nickname said.**

 **Fic Recs: The WIP fic "Stricken" by myonlyheroin is a good read, heartrending, but good.**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Hi there lovelies, this chapter is a long one. So, get yourself a cuppa and settle in for a good read. Let's start off with some lemons before all the drama sets in, shall we? Enjoy!**

 **Obvs. : I don't own twilight or its characters, but I do own this little plot.**

 **EPOV**

New York had been a blur. My work in the studio had gone well and we'd finished the last of our sessions today. I was glad to have it behind me. I had forgotten how grueling the days recording final music could be. Having been out of the industry for so long, I hadn't worked with most of the musicians or technicians before. So it'd been a bit of a process getting to know everyone's working style. But in the end I'd been proud of the work we'd produced and the production team for the film was pleased.

Bella had been endlessly patient with me, spending her days wandering the city. She'd been especially excited about some exhibit at the Museum of Natural History and she'd spent hours there yesterday. I missed spending time with her, but at least I got to curl up around her warm body at night, even if I was dog-tired from my day. We both knew I'd be booked solid while we were here, but living it was a whole other thing.

I leaned against the wall of the elevator as it rose up to the penthouse. Alice's condo was sleek and contemporary and the building had a similar vibe. It was all a bit cold for my tastes, but she liked it. She spent most of her time in Cambridge anyhow. I think she liked that this felt like a trendy hotel rather than a condo.

When the doors opened in front of me I pushed myself off the wall and ambled toward the door at the end of the hall. Before I'd been able to get the door fully unlocked, it swung open before me. There stood the most beautiful sight I could imagine at the end of a long week in the studio: Bella wearing nothing but my pinstriped button down with only the middle three buttons fastened.

"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes," I said stalking toward her and swinging the door closed behind me.

"I missed you," she said as I pulled her hard against me. I crashed my lips hungrily over hers in response. I could tell her all night long how I'd missed her, but it wouldn't be with words. I hitched her leg up, gripping her bare thigh as I pushed her against the adjacent wall. She moaned into my mouth as I lifted her off the floor. She wrapped her toned legs around me as I pressed myself against her, grinding my hardness against her heated core.

Snaking my hand down to her center, I hissed as I found her bare and wet for me. "Fuck, baby. You're so ready for me," I gritted out.

"Yes, take me. Here. Now," she breathed out in that sexy fucking way she does when she's beyond turned on. I couldn't get my belt undone fast enough as my fingers fumbled with the buckle. Somehow I got the fucker undone and Bella helped me unbutton my fly. As soon as my boxers and jeans were pushed down to my ankles I buried myself deep inside her.

"YES!" she gasped as her head fell back against the wall with a soft thud. I attacked the soft skin on her collarbone with my lips as I thrust hard and fast into her. I knew I was probably going to leave a mark, but I fucking needed to taste her skin on my tongue. She moaned out loudly as our hips collided over and over again. I heard a crash nearby as we shook the wall, but I was too far gone to care.

"Need you to come, baby." Fuck. I was not going to last long. I felt the telltale signs of her muscles starting to tighten around me, thank god. My movements sped up and I groaned out loudly as I felt my orgasm flood through my body in a sudden, powerful wave. She gripped me tightly as her own climax sent her body into spasms of pleasure.

Eventually, I felt her tight hold on my shoulders eased slightly as her body began to calm. My forehead rested against hers as we panted, still pressed against the wall. I felt the muscles in my legs and arms begin to protest now that my high had faded. I lowered us to the floor and pulled her across my lap. I kicked off my shoes followed by the pants and boxers that were still around my ankles. Bella leaned into my chest and started giggling.

"What so funny, gorgeous?" I asked, enveloping her in my arms.

"You're still fully dressed from the waist up," she said through her laughter.

"Well to be totally fair, we both are," I offered.

"Not the same," she argued. "You're wearing a Forks PD t-shirt and nothing else." She just kept giggling.

"What? It's way too big for you so I pilfered it from your bag," I defended "Besides, you're wearing my shirt."

"Again, not the same." She looked up at me with such a sweet, open expression in her eyes that I wished I could capture this moment, capture this little bit of perfect happiness for her and offer it to her when she needed it most.

"What time are we meeting Vicki for dinner?" she asked after her laughter had faded, leaving behind a soft smile.

"Not until eight, so we have a little time," I answered.

"Shower?" she suggested.

Looking down at my sweaty, tired body I said, "Yeah. That'd be a good idea."

She stood up and offered her hand to me as I followed her. My legs were wiped after our little session against the entry wall, which reminded me of what happened just before I'd met Jasper for the first time.

"What do you think it is about us and front doors?" I asked her.

She snorted out a cute little laugh. "Hmm. Well I think it's just when we've gone too long without connecting like that. I can't go days or weeks without having you inside me, we've already talked about this. I'm not a fan of abstaining for long periods of time. It's clearly not something we handle well." She was right; I'd been so tired this week that we hadn't had sex since we'd gotten to New York four days ago. Clearly we'd gotten spoiled while we were in Forks with few restrictions on our time.

"Neither am I, baby. Although that was hot as fuck just now. So at least our reunions make up for it a bit."

"True, but I'd rather have you every day if I had the choice," she said as we stepped into the absurdly large shower that was the size of Bella's bedroom in Cambridge.

"Me too, baby. Me too." I said, fiddling with the complex shower controls to activate the various shower heads.

"This shower is a little much, don't you think?" she teased.

"Don't look at me. This is Ali's place. You've seen the shower I had in Forks," I defended. "I was lucky if I had consistent water pressure in that ancient system."

"True, now let's hurry or we'll be late," she said, pulling me under the giant rain-showerhead in the center of the stall.

 **BPOV**

Vicki was a trip. She had been waiting in the bar when we'd arrived at the trendy little bistro in SoHo. She had the bartender, who looked half her age, drooling over her every word. She was a vibrant woman with fiery red hair of the unnatural variety that could only come from a high end salon. No bottle could contain that complexity. She was dressed in a form fitting, emerald dress and bright turquoise glasses. Everything about her appearance demanded your attention.

We had been seated at our table in a quiet corner of the restaurant for a while now and were chatting over drinks and appetizers.

"Okay, I promise, we're done talking shop now," Vicki said turning her bright blue eyes toward me. "I just can't resist gushing when a client has such an overwhelming success! And on your first project back! Bravo, Edward! Bravo!" She took a giant sip of her cocktail.

"So Bella, Edward tells me you were some child prodigy or something," she inquired.

"Uh, I don't know if I'd go that far," I said, giving Edward a stern look.

"What?" he asked. "You were. Stop denying it. And now you're the youngest PhD candidate in your program at M.I.T."

"Whatever," I snarked. "I suppose it's technically true. I just find it a pretentious label. And I think life's more about what you do with the gifts you've been given than the gifts themselves. Natural talent only gives you an advantage, what you choose to apply it to, what you accomplish in life is what truly matters."

"Well said, Bella. I completely agree," Vicki said enthusiastically. "I have worked with temperamental musical geniuses who waste away, stewing in their own egos and never produce anything of merit. It is one of the saddest things to see, really—wasted genius, wasted potential."

"So do all your clients do the type of work that Edward does or do you represent different types of artists?" I asked, curious about her work. It was so foreign to me.

"I work with musicians who compose for film and television. But that ranges from feature film scores to musical interludes that appear between programming," she explained. "I don't work with advertising at all, that's a different area of management entirely. My firm handles all sorts of talent though, but as an agent I have a specialized area of focus."

"It sounds really interesting," I said sincerely. I liked Vicki and I was enjoying getting to know her. I knew that Edward respected her and had been excited to have her back in his life again. I was glad that he had some friends that were eager to be a part of his life again. I could see that Vicki had more than a professional interest in Edward, but nothing that seemed threatening to me.

"Excuse me," the young bartender that had been flirting with Vicki earlier said as he approached our table. "You left this at the bar earlier." He handed her a white rectangular card.

"Oh, yes," she said accepting it. "Thank you."

When he'd left she smiled and flashed the card with his number at me, "Not really my type, actually. He was cute enough, but I kind of like 'em geeky. Nothing sexier in a man than intelligence. And maybe just a touch of awkwardness." She smirked like she was mulling over a favorite fantasy. I raised a brow at Edward who only shrugged in response, looking rather amused.

After a lovely meal and a drawn out farewell, we left Vicki in a cab and walked back to the condo. I didn't think I'd ever get used to living the way the Cullens did. Alice's condo was nearly five thousand square feet spread out over two floors. In Tribeca that would have cost a fortune, like you could buy the town of Forks twice over kind of money. It was spectacular, though. And the giant terrace with a roof garden was delightful.

Tonight we had to pack. We had an early train back to Boston in the morning and I had a lot to do before I started work again the following day. Dr. Hunter had sent me some files to organize and I'd been working on those this week a bit, while Edward was recording. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed it until I started in on what I would have considered grunt work a few months ago. Now, anything was enjoyable and I found myself excited to return.

"I need to go back to my apartment for a while," I said hesitantly.

Edward looked up from the book he was reading. We were sitting in a private compartment on the express train to Boston. It was a nice way to travel, though I was guessing it wasn't cheap. We had about an hour and a half left in our journey and I had been avoiding this conversation longer than I should have.

"Okay…like to go by and get some things or you need to stay there for a while?" I could hear the thinly veiled stress in his voice and I hated it. This is why I'd been putting off talking about this.

I turned my body so that I was facing him in our adjoined seats. Cupping his cheek I said, "Babe, I need to spend a little time with Rose and Jasper. I haven't really seen them much since my fall." He nodded, looking sad, but resigned. "I just feel like I've abandoned them or something. I thought I should stay for a couple of nights a week maybe, so that we can reconnect. Rose's been really upset lately about some family stuff and I want to be there for her."

"Of course you should be there for her. I don't mean to monopolize all of your time, baby. I'm not trying to take you away from your friends," he said, his voice full of regret. "I just hate being away from you. Especially since you got out of the hospital."

"I hate being away from you too," I assured him. "And you haven't been monopolizing my time. I've given it to you willingly. Plus most of my time has been spent with me recuperating and you've been an amazing caregiver. I just don't want to neglect my friends because I want to spend all of my free time with you. That would be shitty of me."

"I know, baby. I understand," he said softly. "I'll miss sleeping with you, though."

"I'll miss that too," I said giving him a slow kiss. "Let's see how it goes tonight sleeping apart. If it's unmanageable we'll reevaluate tomorrow, okay? We'll find our balance, babe."

"I know you're right, Love." he agreed.

The rest of the train ride went quickly. I dozed on his shoulder on and off as a blur of New England coastal villages passed outside our windows. We grabbed a cab at South Station and Edward dropped me off first before heading home. I could tell he was trying not to show how hard it was leaving without me, but I could read him too well now and I could see him struggling as he hugged me tightly at the top of the steep stairs inside my apartment.

"I'll call you later before bed," I promised.

"Alright, Love," he answered, letting me go and stepping away. "I'll talk to you then. Have fun with your friends."

"I will. Love you," I said.

"I love you too baby." And with that he turned and headed back down to the waiting cab.

I made my way into the living room with my two bags in tow. The apartment was quiet and I was surprised that it seemed like everyone was out. Rose and I had texted yesterday about hanging out this afternoon so I knew she didn't have work or class. As I rounded the corner toward my bedroom, I heard muffled noises coming from Rose's closed door. It sounded like she was in there with someone….in there and very busy. Hmm. This was a new development. I shrugged and decided to mind my own business…for the moment, and rolled my suitcase behind me as I walked to my room at the end of the hall.

Closing my door behind me, I stacked my bags on my bed and began to unpack.

By the time I was done I had a large pile of laundry and I was regretting not going to Edward's first. Lugging things to the decrepit laundry room in the basement here was a pain in the ass. But it needed to be done, so I loaded up my laundry bags and started hauling my things down. As I passed Rose's room I heard her soft giggles followed by a deep, masculine chuckle. I shook my head and continued with my annoying task.

~oo0O0oo~

"Hey B! You're back!" Rose said from our small kitchen island as I re-entered the apartment.

"Yeah, I got here a little while ago. I was just putting some laundry in to wash," I said, crossing the room and leaning against the counter. She hummed lightly as she busied about the kitchen fixing her coffee. My eyes darted toward the hall, wondering if her visitor had snuck out while I was downstairs. I decided not to press her; Rose would tell me when she was ready.

"How's the munchkin?"

"Oh he's such a cutie!" I gushed "I'll show you pics later. Ange promised to visit so I hope you get to meet him soon."

"That would be fun!" Rose said. She was far more cheerful than I'd ever seen her, a result of getting laid I was guessing. She danced around the tiny kitchen fixing herself some toast and asking me questions about my trip over her shoulder as she went.

"Hey there Ladies," Jasper drawled as he stepped into the apartment. "You guys mind if that band hangs out here a bit today? We just need to do some planning for the upcoming tour."

"Tour?" I asked. "When did this happen?"

He smiled brightly. "Ali helped us set some things up. That girl is a genius and she'd be a top notch manager if this whole fashion thing doesn't take off. She's booked us in venues up the west coast starting in Seattle down to L.A. We'll finish things off with a show in Vegas. We set out in about a month. You guys should fly out for the Vegas show. It'll be epic."

"Wow! That's awesome Jay! I'm so glad things are happening for you guys," I said. "And of course I don't mind if you guys work here." Looking over at Rose I said, "I know you're eating now, but do you want to head over to the café and catch up a bit more while these guys hang out?"

"Sure, just let me shower and get dressed. Twenty minutes?" she asked.

"Perfect. I'll go switch my laundry while you're getting ready."

We spent the afternoon together and I waited for her to tell me about her hookup, but she didn't. I was a little hurt that she didn't confide in me, but I hated forcing that confidence, especially with Rose. She had real trust issues and if she wanted to tell you something she would.

~oo0O0oo~

The next few weeks passed quickly. Edward and I found our balance with me spending most nights at his place and then catching up with Rose a couple of nights a week. It was strange to have such a light schedule, but I was sort of enjoying it. I had more time for my friends and more time for Edward. Charlie had been true to his word, keeping in touch with me by phone or email. It was slow, but we were rebuilding things and I was hopeful for us. He was careful not to bring up Jake or Leah and I couldn't help but wonder what he was trying to protect me from.

Hearing a soft chime, I looked down at my phone and laughed as another stupid text from Seth came through. It was a link to buzzfeed article about geeky girl stereotypes. He was such a dork. Shortly after we'd gotten back from Forks he had started texting me random crap at odd times. I think it was his way of staying in touch.

"What's got you giggling, beautiful?" Edward asked as he joined me at our table. He'd met me on campus for lunch and we'd walked over to my favorite bakery a few blocks away. The weather had taken a sharp turn and the days had been sunny and warm. We were lucky to get a little sidewalk table where we could enjoy the sun.

"Seth's sending me stupid shit again," I answered. "He must spend so much time on the internet. I swear!"

"Yeah, well he's seventeen," Edward said shrugging. "Is he still planning on visiting this summer?"

"Yeah. He really wants to and Charlie said he'd pay for his ticket. He's got another year at Forks High cause he's got a fall birthday like me. So he wanted to look at schools while he's out here. I guess he's thinking of BU and Emerson. He wants to study film production."

"Wow, that's great baby," he said "I can probably connect him with some good people when he's ready to think about internships. I've met some great filmmakers over the years. There are a couple local production companies that are always looking for interns."

"That's a great idea! Thanks babe," I said leaning over for a kiss.

"So Vicki's in town this weekend. She's got some prospective young composer she's meeting with at Berkley on Friday and she's staying the weekend. She wondered if we wanted to have dinner. I was thinking after my meeting on Saturday with Dr. Hunter."

Dr. Hunter had been consulting with Edward about his foundation. Edward had been making changes to his charitable work and had started putting more resources toward cancer research and supporting families struggling with the costly care that can come with long battles with the disease. I had suggested Dr. Hunter, who was completing his final year of post-doctoral work in my program. He was an odd man, but he had a first rate mind for research. In spite of his difficulty with the day to day workings of running a lab, he had an excellent understanding for the current research efforts. It was a vast and complicated area of medical research and it would be near impossible to for a layman to navigate. Dr. Hunter had been helping to prioritize research areas and to field grant proposals. I'd been helping too, but I was much more interested in doing research itself not the administrative work behind it.

"Should we invite Dr. Hunter to go to dinner with us?" I asked. "Though, Vicki will likely scare him half to death." I giggled at the image of him cringing away from Vicki's vibrant, boisterous personality.

Edward raised a brow at me. "Sure, I'll invite him, but I doubt he'll say yes. He hasn't been overly receptive to social interactions with me or the other foundation staff."

"That's not really surprising," I said.

After lunch I headed back to the lab and buried myself in work for the next few hours. Tonight was a night with Rose. Jasper had left a couple of days ago to start their tour. Alice had gone out for the first few venues to help them get started. She was really into this whole band manager role, but she had a degree to finish and a brand to launch in a couple of months, so she could only be with them occasionally.

"Rose?" I shouted as I entered the apartment. I flipped on lights as I went checking her room as I passed and finding it empty. I knew her class today sometimes ran late. Heading down to my room, which was feeling more and more like the guest room here, I dropped my stuff on the bed. My phone vibrated in my bag and I rooted around for a bit before I could find it. Looking down at the display I was relieved that I'd missed the call. Tossing it on the bed I headed out to find a snack to tide me over till dinner.

At five o'clock, when Rose still hadn't gotten home from her afternoon class, I was starting to wonder if she'd forgotten our plans. Deciding to call her I headed back to my room where I found my phone vibrating again on my bed where I'd left it.

"What the hell does he want?" I asked myself quietly aloud. I had four missed calls in the last forty minutes. Groaning I opted to listen to the voicemail instead of answering.

"Hey Bella…it's me, Phil…again." My stepfather's voice sounded nervous on the recording. "Listen, I need to talk to you. It's important. I really need you to call me as soon as you can. It's about Renee. Please call me back. Okay. That's it. Bye."

"What the hell has you scowling like that?" I heard Rose ask from my open doorway. I looked up to see her standing there, still in her professional clothes, fresh from teaching.

"I just got the strangest message from Phil," I said, still staring at my phone like it might have some answers. I really didn't want to call him back. After Edward's insight into Phil's feelings, I wasn't sure how to act toward him. He had always been so kind to me, but I didn't know if that was all an act.

"What did he have to say?" she asked.

"He just said he really needed to talk to me about Renee. That's all. But he sounded really weird," I explained.

"So call him back and find out what's going on with the wretched hag," she said, shrugging.

"I really don't want to talk to him right now, but he's been blowing up my phone for the last half an hour," I admitted.

"Why, what's up with Phil?" she asked.

I had forgotten that I'd never filled her in on Edward's suspicions about Phil. I really didn't want to get into it with her, but I knew she'd be hurt if I didn't keep her in the loop. While I explained to her Edward's perception of Phil, he called three more times, leaving messages each time.

On the fourth time Rose grabbed my phone from my hand saying, "Oh for Christ's sakes! This is absurd." before answering it. "Isabella Swan's phone, this is Rose speaking," she said, sounding like a falsely cheerful receptionist.

"Uh huh… uh huh… uh huh… Let me see if she's available," she said vaguely, looking at me in question. I hesitated a moment before holding out my hand for the phone.

"Hi Phil," I said.

"Oh thank god, pretty girl. I've been trying to get ahold of you," he said sounding out of breath. "Listen, I've got some things I really need to talk to you about regarding your mother, but I don't want to do it over the phone. I'm just boarding a flight to Logan now and I should be there in three hours. Can you meet me for a late dinner?"

"Uh…" I hesitated, not sure how to answer. "Okay, but why can't you tell me over the phone if it's so important."

"Bella, I'd really rather not. Listen, I've gotta go, we're about to take off. I'll text you when I land and send you details on dinner, okay?"

"Okay…" I agreed reluctantly.

"Bye gorgeous," he said before hanging up. It was strange how I'd never noticed all the little affectionate things he said until Edward had pointed it out. Now they seemed so strange and inappropriate, but before they had seemed so nice and refreshing compared to the cold reception I typically received from my other family members.

"What did he want?" she asked.

"I don't know. He wouldn't tell me over the phone," I answered. "He's coming to Boston today, like right the fuck now, so he can talk to me in person. Ro, I don't know how to act around him now? What do I do?"

"Well, you're not going alone, that's for sure," she said. "I'll go with you or Edward will, I'm sure."

I nodded. "Yeah, that's a good idea. I'll feel more comfortable if I'm not alone. Should I ask Edward or do you think it would be more awkward with him there?"

She pursed her lips and considered my question, "I think you should ask him. I'm happy to go with you, but he's been feeling really protective of you since your accident. I think he'd feel better about things if he went. Actually, why don't we both go? You should have the support."

"Alright. That makes sense," I said, connecting the call to Edward as I spoke.

"Hey baby, missed me already?" he asked.

I smiled at his eagerness. "Always, but I'm calling for a reason," I answered.

"What's up baby?"

"Well, Phil called," I began causing him to growl in response.

"Stop. Listen," I admonished.

"Sorry," he said quietly.

"He called and he wants to talk to me about something. Something important relating to my mother," I explained.

"Okay, what do you mean he wants to talk? Didn't you talk to him on the phone?"

"Yeah, well he wants to talk in person and he's on his way here right now," I said.

"What? Are you sure this isn't just some elaborate ruse to get you alone? I don't like it," he said nervously.

"I really don't know what to think honestly. Rose is here and she thinks I should show up with the two of you and find out what he wants. If it is some effort to manipulate me, then he won't have the chance."

He groaned in frustration. "Okay. Let me know when and where. It's better that we're with you, but don't say anything to him. Just let us surprise him. Maybe we'll learn something about his real intentions."

"I don't see what it really matters, but okay. I'll text you when I hear from him," I said.

"Alright. Love you, sweet girl," he said softly.

"I love you too," I answered before disconnecting.

"Edward thinks I shouldn't give Phil any warning that you'll be with me. He wants to see his honest reaction and gage his intentions," I explained.

Rose looked at me with a calculating expression that usually meant trouble. "Perfect!" she gasped.

"Huh?" I asked.

"You'll see B," she said as she turned toward the door. "I'm just going to go get ready and we'll talk strategy over tea, okay." She raced down the hall toward her room. I was becoming more concerned with the ideas forming in my roommate's devious mind than anything else. That look in Rosalie's eye was a dangerously predictive sign: mischief was coming.

It was little wonder then that I found myself, a few hours later, waiting alone at a table for Phil to arrive while Rose and Edward played out some goofy cloak and dagger scheme two tables away. Phil had texted me the name of this posh little restaurant on Main St. It was the kind of place where the vibe is super casual, like a high end pub, but dinner for two will easily run you a few hundred bucks. Yeah, twenty-five dollar appetizers aren't really my speed.

I sat perusing the menu and trying to contain my shock at the prices. It was taking even more effort not to cast glances toward Edward and Rose who were wearing absurd disguises, much to Edward's chagrin. But Rose was a force to be reckoned with and she had won that fight.

"Hey Bella! Sorry to make you wait, pretty girl," Phil said as he approached the table. I got up to hug him, more out of habit than anything. I ended the hug as quickly as I could though, feeling a bit uncomfortable at the contact.

"Hey Phil. How was your flight?" I asked as we sat down.

"It was good. Thanks," he said. "Thank you for meeting me on such short notice. I wouldn't have asked if it wasn't important."

"What's so important that you couldn't tell me over the phone?" I asked.

Phil opened his mouth to answer when the waiter interrupted us. "Good evening folks! Can I get you started with some drinks or apps?" he asked.

"Um, I'll have the Founder's IPA, please," I said.

Phil looked over the menu quickly before ordering a locally brewed stout. He turned back to me when we were alone again. "I was headed here for business in a couple of days anyhow, but I changed my plans so we could talk sooner than later. Your mom pulled some shit that got her into some trouble back home."

"What sort of trouble?" I wondered.

"Well, I don't know how else to say this, but Bella your mom is mentally ill. She's done things over the years we've been together that have made me scared that she might cause harm to herself. I actually convinced her to get help at one point and she was diagnosed with something called borderline personality disorder."

"What does that mean?" I asked anxiously.

"Basically it means she's highly unstable," he explained. His voice was filled with a weary pain. "Her moods, her emotions they fluctuate wildly and she can be thrown into fits of anger or depression by catalysts that seem insignificant to most people. She functions fairly well when she's in a good place. She's flakey, but she's not dangerous or obviously ill. But when her symptoms have been triggered it's like she's a different person. She's not the Ren I love, she can be heartless, cruel and impulsive in her actions."

"How long have you known about this? How long since she was diagnosed?" I asked, highly pissed that he'd kept this to himself.

"Not that long really. Eight months or so. I wanted to talk to you while we were in town last time, but you were so busy with school that we didn't get to see you except that one quick visit."

"What do you mean I was busy? Renee told me you were busy. I was around all weekend and she called me the night before you left to have dinner. Drinks were all I had time for because she asked me at the last minute."

"Ah. That makes sense now. She didn't want me to see you it seems," he said, sounding completely unsurprised by the deception.

"So, this is why she was so horrible while I was in the hospital. She was having some kind of episode?" I asked.

His brow furrowed. "When were you in the hospital? Are you okay, Bella?"

"She didn't tell you?" I said. "I wondered why I hadn't heard from you. Yeah. I'm okay. I had a bad fall down some stairs the morning after we last saw each other," I explained. "I was unconscious for a day and she was camped out in the ICU keeping all my friends away from me. She wouldn't even tell them if I was okay. It was horrible for them. Charlie finally flew in and overrode her. She was pissed about it though."

"God, I had no idea. I'm so glad you're okay," he said sadly.

Just then, the waiter brought our drinks and took our orders. I went with the overpriced burger because it was the least obscenely priced thing on the menu. It was hard to go from counting my pennies to dropping that much on a freaking burger, even after spending so much time with the Cullens recently.

When we were alone again I reopened our discussion, "You said she'd gotten into trouble?"

"Yeah. Like I said, about a year ago things started getting bad and she was diagnosed shortly after that. Unfortunately there's not a lot to be done for her. They can treat some of her anxiety and depression which helps, but her erratic behavior and impulse control are the bigger issues. So she's been up and down over the last year. She was particularly bad while we were here and since.

"While I was away things got out of control. I flew to Asia the morning after we had drinks. I thought Renee flew home later that day, but clearly she lied about some things. I was gone for a couple of weeks. When I got home the house was in ruins. It was filthy with rotting food on every surface. Most of our belongings were broken and your mother was nowhere to be found.

"It took me all day, but I tracked her down to a local bar where she was holding court and getting felt up by a disgusting looking man who reeked of cheap rum. I dragged her back home and, after she sobered up, I convinced her to check in to a treatment center so they could help her. She's been there since, voluntarily." He paused taking a sip of his beer. "She's having some legal troubles too. She had called in a bunch of pretty serious threats to a few women in our town that she's taken a dislike to for some reason. So far, given her mental health issues, no charges have been filed, but she's on thin ice with local law enforcement."

I was reeling from what he'd told me, but the first feeling I could grasp onto was anger.

"Why the hell are you just telling me about this now?" I asked in a harsh whisper. "You should have told me sooner. She's my mother for fuck's sake. And for that matter, what the hell is with the sudden urgency to tell me this now? Has something happened to her?"

He scrubbed his hand over his face and said, "I know. I fucked up. I'm sorry." He drew in a long breath and continued. "Look, I thought I could fix it, you know. I was so fucking convinced that I could make her happy again and she'd be better, but that was stupid. Plus she begged me not to tell anyone. She's embarrassed. One of her biggest triggers is being called crazy. She can't stand the idea that she's ill."

My glare softened marginally at the pain in his voice, but I was still pissed that he'd waited so long to tell me. He knew something wasn't right before she was diagnosed, but he didn't reach out to me. It might have made a difference if I knew earlier, but then, maybe it wouldn't have mattered. I'd never know.

The waiter dropped off our food and my stomach was churning as he placed our plates on the table. I was sure the food was lovely, but my appetite had fled long ago.

"As for the urgency now, well I didn't know she was so…focused on you until today," he said quietly.

"What do you mean, focused on me?" I asked with trepidation.

"I mean, I think she's fixated a lot of her anger on you for some reason," he said, averting his eyes as he spoke.

"Why do I get the feeling you know more than you're letting on? What happened today to clue you in?" I asked coolly.

His eyes found mine and his expression morphed into one of…shame maybe or regret. "She's convinced that we've been having an affair," he explained. And he further clarified, in case I was confused, "you and me, she thinks we're sleeping together Bella and I think it's my fault that she got that idea."

My eyes widened in horror. "Why would you make her think that? What did you say to her?"

He ran his fingers over his brow in a nervous gesture before answering, "God this is mortifying. Let me just preface this by saying I know it's horrible and I would never have ever wanted you to know about this if I could avoid it, but…" He paused and took a few calming breaths. "When you showed up last year for Christmas, things with your mom had already started getting bad. She was up and down all the time. She was always accusing me of flirting with other women or having secret affairs. It got to the point where I had spoken to my lawyer about a legal separation from her.

"I hadn't seen you in couple of years. The last time I saw you before that visit you were seventeen. So when you showed up, in the midst of a really weak time for me, looking all grown up and gorgeous…Shit, this sucks…I…I was really attracted to you. I felt like such an old creeper," he said with a wry smile. "I am an old creeper. I tried to fight it, but then I found myself more than attracted to you Bella. You were this breath of fresh air. You are so bright and sweet and funny. I found myself falling for you."

I couldn't quite deal with what he was saying. This was worse than I'd thought and I found myself feeling horrible. My mother hated me because her husband was in love with me. I couldn't imagine how betrayed and angry she was. She was directing all of that the wrong way, but at least I understood what was happening between us now.

"Phil," I choked out. I couldn't listen to this any longer. "Please don't say anymore. I get the idea."

He looked up at me, his eyes were sad and tired. I felt for him, but I couldn't offer him my sympathy fully. It was all too much. My stomach was roiling.

"I'm so sorry Bella. I tried not to feel this way. I promise I did. And I couldn't just leave her once she started getting sick. I love your mom, I really do. I may not be in love with her anymore, because she broke that long before I started having these feelings. She has said and done some things that can't be fixed, but I couldn't just leave her like this…She figured it out by the end of that visit last Christmas. Apparently I talk in my sleep and it was your name I was saying. She confronted me about it just after you left. I tried to defuse things, but it clearly didn't work."

We sat for a moment, my head was spinning from all that I'd learned. I didn't know if I could handle much more, but there were things unsaid, I could tell. I looked over and saw Edward giving me a sympathetic look, clearly having overheard everything. I'd nearly forgotten they were here. At any other time I would have laughed at his ridiculous hat and fake moustache, but my heart was too heavy to find anything humorous at the moment.

"I found a journal of hers when I visited her yesterday," Phil said breaking the long, pregnant silence. "She had all of this angry writing about you. About me. About you and me. But what really scared me was the recent entries about you. She had these delusional fantasies about hurting you. They ranged from poisoning you with fumes to hitting you with a car to disfiguring you with acid. Bella this shit was scary and I think you need to get a restraining order or maybe do something more to protect yourself."

"I don't understand. Isn't she in a mental institution now?" I asked, trying not to focus on the gruesome images he'd just planted in my mind.

"She's there voluntarily. It's near impossible to get someone committed against their will in Florida, believe me I've tried. And her journal is written in such a way that it sounds like fiction. It doesn't read as reality. I wouldn't have known it was about you if I didn't know her so well, but no judge would take it seriously enough to commit her long term against her will."

My eyes stung with unshed tears and the queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach grew until I leapt up and ran to the bathroom. I wretched up the meager contents of my stomach, having not eaten any of my dinner. When I came out of the stall Rose was standing by the sink waiting for me.

"You look ridiculous," I said weakly.

"What? I can totally rock this look," she said, pushing up on the bottom of her short, red, bobbed wig.

"Sure you can," I teased.

Her face grew serious. "Are you okay?" she asked, crossing the small room to pull me into a hug.

"I don't know. Not really, I guess."

"Let's get out there before Edward breaks this door down to get to you," she said mildly. "You've had a lot thrown at you tonight. Give yourself a chance to absorb everything."

"Yeah, it's not every day that you learn your mother has murderous intentions toward you," I said sarcastically. "And you thought your parents were bad."

Rose gave me a soft, sad smile and led me back toward the restaurant. I said goodbye to a very concerned Phil, telling him that I needed time to think all this over. Edward and Rose met me outside and we grabbed an Uber back to his place. We found Emmett in the kitchen, dressed only in his underwear and socks, eating directly out of a tub of ice cream.

He looked over at us and fell into a fit of laughter. "Dude, you look fuckin' ridiculous! Is that a fake moustache?"

"I look ridiculous? Emmett, where are your clothes?" he replied.

"What? I got hot after working out and then I wanted some ice cream," he answered as if it was a totally reasonable explanation.

"Well he has you there," said Rose, giving him a smirk. "I mean you do look pretty stupid in that getup."

"You made me wear this shit!" Edward yelled back at her, ripping the fake pornstache off his face for emphasis.

"What, like I could make you do anything you don't want to do," she said shrugging. "It's not like I could physically make you do anything."

"Not physically, but we all know what you're capable of," he answered.

"What?" Emmett asked sounding beyond confused.

"Nothing," Rose said, giving Edward and me a stern look to shut us up.

"Never mind," Edward said. Turning to me he asked. "Baby, do you think you could eat something. Maybe some toast or something."

"You sick, B?" Emmett asked with genuine concern. We'd bonded quite a bit over the last several weeks. He'd evolved into an occasionally obnoxious person, rather than a nearly unbearable person.

"No, I'm okay Em. I was a little upset earlier and it was making me feel kind of sick," I explained. "I'm feeling alright now. Do you guys want to watch a movie or something? I could really stand a distraction right now."

"Sure. Why don't I order us a pizza and we can watch something in the family room down here," Edward suggested.

"Uh….three pizzas at least. I can eat two by myself," Emmett said while squirting whipped cream into his mouth from the canister.

"God you're disgusting," Rose said.

"Whatever," he responded with a wink. "You know you love it."

She rolled her eyes and pulled me out of the room with her, sliding her arm around me protectively. "It's going to be okay B," she said as we sat down in the family room on one of the giant cushy couches. "We'll figure this all out. No one's gonna let that crazy train come anywhere near you."

"She's right, baby," Edward said entering the room behind us. "I'm calling my lawyer to see what else we can do. And I think we need to loop in Charlie at this point. He should know what's going on."

I just felt numb inside. I knew I should feel sad, or angry, or scared, but I felt nothing. I looked back at Rose and Edward, who were gazing at me with matching expressions of deep concern and determination. I knew that my mood should be similar: motivated, vigilant. But all I could feel was an overwhelming sense of fatigue and distance from everything.

"Tomorrow," I said finally, breaking the long silence. "Let's just watch a movie now and think about this shitstorm tomorrow."

"Bella, I really think we need to start taking proactive measures against Renee. Phil said she can check herself out anytime." Edward said a touch frantically.

"You can do what you want," I said evenly. "I just need to veg out right now."

"Alright, Love," he conceded. "You and Rose watch something and I'll be in the kitchen making some calls. I'd just feel better if we were as prepared as possible for whatever comes."

"Okay," I answered unable to muster more. I leaned my head against Rose's shoulder and let myself sink a bit further into the comforting numbness I was feeling.

 **EPOV**

Bella was shutting down, I could see that plainly. She had been dealt so much these last couple of months. It seemed like she couldn't ever get a break. I caught Rose's eye as I stood to exit the room. She looked just as wary of Bella's current mood as I was feeling. I nodded slightly to her as I left. I knew she had things under control and I just really needed to do something useful. Anything, really.

I settled at the kitchen table as I made my first call.

"What can I do for you, Edward?" asked Charlie's gruff voice as he answered my call.

"Phil was here," I explained. "He had some…enlightening things to share."

"What did that bastard have to say?" Charlie asked. Charlie was no fan of Phil's. He'd been stewing on his anger toward Phil since I'd given him my perspective on his feelings for Bella. Not that I could really blame him; I had no friendly feelings for Phil, though I did pity the man just a little after his story tonight. Not that I wasn't still horrified by him harboring lust toward his stepdaughter while he was still married to her mother. That shit was just all kinds of wrong. Putting that guilt on Bella was fucked up at best. My pity for him was really centered around the cluster-fuck that his marriage had become and the pain he was clearly living through.

I explained to Charlie, as efficiently as I could, all of the shit Phil had laid at Bella's feet tonight. He was grumbling and muttering obscenities as I spoke. When I described her current shell-shocked emotional state he spoke thoughtfully after a short silence.

"Well, yeah. That makes some sense, I guess," he said. "She's always needed time to process things before she was ready to really deal with them. The big things at least. She really retreated into herself when she first moved out here from Renee's when she was a kid. She barely spoke to me for the first couple of weeks. I was about ready to take her to a shrink when she started to open up and seem a bit more normal."

"I get that. She's done this before, shut down after a shock, but this seems different somehow—more all-consuming or something," I said. "I'm worried, but I'll try to give her some time to deal with everything."

"Yeah. That's what I'd suggest," he said.

"Alright, I just wanted to keep you in the loop," I said. "I'm going to call my lawyer now and then I'm looking into getting some private security for Bella."

"Private security?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah. I think it would give us all some peace of mind. I'll discuss options with Bella when she's feeling up to it, but at very least, I want to get her some surveillance while she's on her own anytime and I want someone watching Renee so we know if she leaves the state."

"Hmm…" Charlie hummed thoughtfully. "That sounds like a good plan. I'll also call down to a buddy of mine in Florida who might be able to tell me some more about Renee's legal troubles. You never know what information is gonna be useful."

"Thanks Charlie," I said. "We really appreciate the help."

"No need to thank me. She's my kid, you know," he said a little defensively. I decided to ignore his tone, realizing that it was probably his guilt peeking through. We said our goodbyes and I made the rest of my calls as quickly as I could.

Regardless of my efforts, the movie was nearly over when I joined everyone in the family room. The pizza was almost gone and Bella was passed out with her head on Rose's lap. Rose and Emmett were whispering quietly to each other as the movie played softly in the background. There was something familiar about their exchange which surprised me because as far as I knew Rose's dislike for my brother hadn't diminished much. She was still pulling her pranks on him regularly. I caught her sneaking out of his room last week and she gave me mischievous wink as she snuck down the stairs and out of the house.

"How's she doing?" I asked as I joined them on the sofa. I lifted Bella's legs onto my lap and she stirred slightly before settling again.

"To be honest, I have no idea. She was quiet for a while more after you left. She just had that same vacant gaze on her face as the movie played," Rose explained. "Eventually she slipped down and fell asleep like this. I think she's overloaded, but who could blame her?"

"I'm gonna take her on up to bed. Maybe after some rest she'll be able to face all of this." I said.

"Look, I know what Phil said, that Renee is mentally ill, but I seriously could give a fuck about that. She wants to hurt Bella. I don't give a shit what her reasoning is. She's trying to hurt my sister. I will not let that happen." Rose spoke with a fierce loyalty that made me begin to love her as Bella did. It made me feel just slightly better knowing I wasn't alone in my protectiveness.

"I know Rose," I said. "Part of me wants to feel sorry for Renee, I feel like I should care that she's ill, but the fact is she's had murderous thoughts about Bella and she's already hurt her more than enough, emotionally. She's dangerous and she needs to be fucking stopped. Why don't you stay the night and we can talk in the morning about what we need to do next."

She nodded as I stood and lifted Bella from the couch. As I made my way up the stairs, Bella clung to my shirt tightly, her knuckles turning white in the process. I held her securely to me as we ascended, my head spinning wildly, thinking of all of the things I needed to do to keep her safe. I wouldn't let anyone or anything harm her. She deserved peace of mind and I would do everything in my power to make her safe.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Hi there friends, thanks as always for all of your awesome reviews!**

 **Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy!**

 **Obvs. : I don't own twilight or its characters, but I do own this little plot.**

 **EPOV**

The room was dark when I woke. Something had pulled me from a deep sleep—some feeling of unease. I stretched out my arm expecting to find warm, soft skin, but instead my hand landed on cold, bare sheets. I sat up, disoriented. The moonlight, just bright enough to illuminate the room, shrouded the empty bed next to me in pale blue light. I listened for a moment, trying to discern if Bella was nearby, in the bathroom or the little sitting room, but was met with only heavy silence. My heart pounded as a feeling of dread washed through me. One scenario after another passing through my mind, all the evil things Renee had been plotting plaguing me.

I slipped on some pajamas and stumbled down the stairs in search of Bella. If she wasn't in the kitchen, where she usually escaped to when she couldn't sleep, then I needed to start making calls now. I'd feel so much better tomorrow when her 24 hour protection would begin. I could relax infinitesimally at the added measure. I could have arranged something sooner, but I had been assured by everyone I spoke to that these guys were the best and I wanted Bella to have the best protection she could have.

The bright light spilling from the kitchen calmed my adrenalin fired body immediately. One thing I'd learned about Bella in the few months I'd known her: the more she cooked, the more concerned I should be. So my heart sank again as I took in the scene before me in the kitchen. Every surface was covered with baked goods; cookies, brownies, pies and cupcakes crowded each counter of the enormous kitchen. I sighed as I watched her pull one loaf of mouthwatering bread from the oven followed quickly by two more.

"Fuck, baby," I groaned, pulling at my hair in distress. "Are you okay?"

She looked up at me with a furrowed brow as she placed the last loaf of bread on the stovetop, "What do you mean? I'm fine."

"I…" I started, unsure of how to say this without offending her. "Baby, it seems like you cook more when you're stressed and this," I said gesturing around the kitchen, "looks like a lot of stress." I crossed the room quickly as she gazed around the room looking utterly confused. It seemed like she was just realizing how much she'd produced.

"I didn't…wow, I just woke up a few hours ago and I couldn't go back to sleep so I thought I'd make some things to take to the hospital staff at MGH. They were so good to me while I was recovering. I wanted to say thank you somehow…" She kept surveying the room as if she was taking an inventory of everything. I pulled her tightly against me and rubbed her back slowly.

"Come upstairs and try to sleep. You need to rest," I said.

"But I have to clean all this up," she said weakly, her body sagging against mine.

I reached over and turned off the oven, "There. Don't worry about anything else. It'll be fine for a couple of hours while you rest."

"Ok, but Emmett's probably gonna eat it all before we get back down here," she murmured against my chest.

"Nah, he said something about going down to New York for a couple of days. Something about a girl," I said rolling my eyes.

"Oh, well I guess the food's safe from scavengers then," she said as I pulled her toward the stairs.

When I'd finally gotten Bella into bed, she fell into a deep sleep almost immediately. She was resting her head on my bare chest and I was stroking her hair and humming softly to her. She seemed soothed by this so I did what little I could to comfort her. The last few days had been rough. The first day after the showdown with skeezy Phil, Bella had gone through her routine with robotic stoicism. I followed her and hovered outside the lab while she worked. This would have ordinarily irritated the crap out of her, but she was unfazed. She simply nodded to me and took my offered hand when she found me waiting in the hall after her work was done.

Slowly, after some coaxing from me and from Rose, she'd started opening up and pulling herself out of her shocked state. I had thought things were improving until this morning's culinary explosion. Maybe she should speak to someone about what she's going through. I'd have to see if she would be open to meeting Dr. Powell this week. She'd helped me so much with my own issues, I was sure she could help Bella deal with everything she was suffering.

~oo0O0oo~

"Baby, you won't even know they're there," I assured her as she looked skeptically across the table at Garrett Knight, the head of her security team. He'd just finished detailing her protection plan to us and she'd been absorbing it all in silence.

"He's right, Miss Swan," Garrett agreed. "We are the best for a reason. The more discreet we are the better we can protect you. Jane is one of my best guards. I thought you might be more comfortable with her because she's a young woman, but I assure you she is very good at what she does. Don't let her apparent youth and size fool you, she is experienced and highly lethal. Now, I think we should let Mr. Jenks take it from here. He's got the research you requested."

We each turned our gazes to the heavyset man next to Garrett. He flipped open the leather folio on the table in front of him and began speaking with detached efficiency about Renee.

"Mrs. Dwyer is currently in inpatient care at Shady Meadows Rehabilitation and Treatment center just outside of Jacksonville. She's been there for about four weeks and is under no obligation to stay. We have someone watching her movements and we will know immediately if she leaves the facility.

"Your lawyers have obtained the order of protection for Ms. Swan. The temporary order was issued immediately, but we have to wait for further review for the final prevention order which lasts up to a year but can be extended based on the judge's discretion. Your lawyers are confident, based on the statements obtained from hospital staff and Chief Swan, that they will be successful in obtaining the order."

Bella nodded tersely, but still remained silent. I squeezed her hand and kissed it softly before returning my attention to Mr. Jenks.

"My investigators have also been digging into Mr. Phillip Dwyer at your request," he said.

Bella looked up in surprise before shifting her eyes to me in question.

"It would be careless of us not to look into him Bella," I explained. "I know you want to trust what he told you, but he's been keeping a whole hell of a lot of information from you for a long time now. We need to know what we're dealing with."

"You're right," she conceded. "It's just a lot to take in, is all."

"I know, Love," I said, kissing her knuckles softly. "But it's always better to know as much as we can, even if it's hard to hear."

She nodded and we both looked back at Jenks. When he was sure he had our attention again he continued where he'd left off.

"Mr. Dwyer is a VP at Global Financial Solutions, a fortune 500 financial services corporation. He travels extensively for business both domestically and internationally. He has been married to Mrs. Renee Dwyer for seven years and from what we can tell was faithful to her until this year. In the last year, he has had several encounters with women, always while he's traveling, never near home," Jenks explained as he laid out several pictures of Phil with various women in bars and hotel lobbies or elevators, all of them clearly taken from security camera footage. All of the women had one distinct similarity; they each had the same height, build, and coloring as Bella. I heard her gasp next to me as she looked over the images.

"Well I guess he was trying to get you out of his system," I mused.

"God, that's creepy," she whispered. I put my arm around her and pulled her close to me.

Jenks continued as neither Bella or I could seem to look away from the disturbing images. "Mr. Dwyer is currently in London on business and is not expected back in Florida until next week. We've learned that he filed for divorce just before he visited you here last week. The paperwork should be served to Mrs. Dwyer this week."

"Won't that set her off?" Bella asked nervously.

"Probably," I answered. "It would have been nice of him to give us a heads up. I think I'm beginning to understand just how selfish a person Phil is." He claimed he was in love with Bella, yet he'd been fucking any cheap imitation of her he could find for the last year. And now, when he had a chance to protect her, he'd taken the cowardly way out yet again and done nothing. Warning us could save Bella's life, but he'd just gone on with his life.

"Well, he seems sufficiently distracted, I suppose," Jenks said wryly, laying down a new photo of Phil sucking face with a petite brunette in a mirrored elevator. It was timestamped at the bottom.

"This was yesterday," Bella gasped.

"Yes, Mr. Dwyer has been…occupied while in London," Jenks said. "Other than his infidelities, he seems fairly clean. We are still keeping an eye on him, just in case."

"Thank you Jenks," I said. "Did Marcus say if her order of protection is effective if we travel?" I was thinking of the trip Bella and Alice wanted to take to Vegas where Jasper's band was playing this weekend.

"Well, within the U.S. it is effective. There are federal mandates ensuring that you're protected across state lines. Outside of the U.S. you're on your own. I would suggest staying close to home if you can for now. You should check in with Marcus directly about specifics, though." I nodded, understanding that he was just the chief investigator for the firm not a lawyer.

"I will. Thanks," I said.

"Well if that'll be all, I'll show myself out," Jenks said, collecting his papers and standing from the table. "I'll be in touch as soon as I have new information." I nodded at him as he left.

"Jane will be here any minute so I'll stick around to introduce you," Garrett said. Just then there was a firm knock on the front door. Garrett rose to answer it. He returned a few minutes later with a petite, blond girl who looked about Bella's age.

I understood immediately why he'd warned us not to judge her by her appearance. I had trouble despite his warning, but I'd read her resume and I knew she was older than she appeared. She was also a former Marine and had an impressive, though short career with the military. She'd been honorably discharged after she'd been injured in an insurgent attack in Afghanistan. She'd recovered physically, but had opted to go into private security instead of returning to the Marines.

"Ms. Swan," she said, nodding toward Bella. "I'm Jane Bryant, but please call me Jane. I will be your primary guard and I will try to blend in as well as possible while we are out. I have already been in touch with campus security and spoken to Dr. Banner and Dr. Hunter. They are aware of my presence and have given me a small space within the lab where I will be out of the way. If you are more comfortable, I can station myself outside the room, but I think this will be less noticeable to others."

"Thank you Jane," Bella said quietly. "I suppose it could be worse. Do you have to wear the suit? It'll make you stand out. We're mostly a jeans and t-shirts crowd. I can get you a lab coat so you blend in better."

"That'll be fine," she answered. Turning to me she asked, "Do you mind if Garrett shows me the rest of the house and the updated security system now?"

"Of course. Let me know if you need anything. I can show you to your room when you're finished." I said. Garrett had said she didn't need to stay onsite, but I liked the idea of added security and it was part of the service they offered. It wasn't like we were lacking in space or anything.

"I'd also like to look over the approved visitor list. I understand that there are three others living here with you?" she asked.

"Well my brother and sister are living here full time, but Bella's friend Rose stays over once or twice a week lately," I explained.

"Okay, I have pictures of all of them, but I'd like to introduce myself as soon as possible so they know what to expect."

After they left the room I stood and pulled Bella up into my arms. "You okay baby?" I asked, kissing her forehead.

She let out a long, slow breath and it fanned out over my neck causing me to shiver slightly. "I don't know. I'm overwhelmed still, but I really want to just pretend like none of this is happening. I think I have a bad habit of ignoring the unpleasant shit in my life. I just throw myself into work and school when things get bad. It's always worked out for me in the past, but it seems like this time everything's catching up with me."

"Do you think you might want to talk to someone who could help you with all of this?" I asked warily. "If not Dr. Powell, she has three other doctors in her practice that I'm sure are just as good as she is."

"Okay."

"Yeah? Do you want me to set something up? I can go with you the first time if you want," I offered.

"Thanks," she answered. "I'll call her if you give me her number."

 **BPOV**

I'd been trying so hard to be normal. Apparently I was failing miserably. Edward was being amazing, trying to give me space and time to process things on my own. The problem was, I wasn't really processing anything. I was just sort of avoiding and trying to forget. Charlie kept calling and fussing over me. I could tell he was trying to rein in his anger toward Renee, but he wasn't hiding it well.

Today I was going to do the one thing that always made me feel a little more in control of my life. I was going to my mixed martial arts class. Rose and I had been doing this since we moved here, but the last couple of months had been tough for me and I hadn't been going regularly. Rose had said she'd meet me here, but I didn't see her anywhere as I dropped my things in a cubby. I saw Jane sink back into a corner near the door and stand unobtrusively off to the side. She was a master at blending in, which was sort of amazing considering how pretty she was. I would expect her to stand out.

"Hey girlie!" I heard Rose's bright voice behind me as I strapped on my gloves to warm up with one of the heavy bags. "I'm sorry I'm late. The T was running super slow."

"That's okay. I just got here myself. She hasn't started yet."

"Cool. I'm gonna head back and change. I came right from class," she said, gesturing down to her pencil skirt and blue silk blouse. She must have had all the freshers panting after her hot teacher look. She breezed past me toward the locker room while I made my way over and started throwing easy punches on one of the bags.

It felt really damned good to get some of my irritation out like this. Before long I felt all of the anger I held toward my mother and all of the frustration I had with the fucked up situations I kept finding myself in, I felt it all course through me as I landed each blow to the large bag. I started in with my kicks and soon my limbs were screaming as I pounded the hell of the bag, letting all my rage and hurt fuel my strikes. When my arms and legs started to shake from the exertion I eased up my force and slowed my blows before finally coming to a rest. I held onto the shaking bag and panted as I tried to calm my emotions and my body.

"Holy shit Bella," I heard Rose say next to me. "I sure as hell hope I never get you super pissed at me. You're fucking brutal when you want to be."

I snorted in response, still panting from the exertion. "Right. I strike fear into the hearts of my enemies." I said chuckling. I knew I would be okay to get away from an attacker. I didn't think I would panic or freeze like I did when Jacob hurt me, but I had no delusions about being able to do more than make a fast get away. I wouldn't be stupid enough to force a fight with someone.

"No, she's right Bella," I heard an unexpected voice say from behind me. I looked over to see Jane standing with a serious, analytic expression on her face. "You have good force and excellent technique. I think you could hold your own if you needed to. Though I think it'd be best to use your element of surprise to incapacitate an attacker and then get away as quickly as you can."

I nodded at her, understanding what she was saying: that she used people's tendency to underestimate her to her advantage and I should do the same if I needed to.

I was spent after my 'warm up session', having over exerted myself. I thought more about what Edward had said about seeing his therapist. I knew he was right. I would call her when class finished, because I was clearly not handling all this shit very well.

~oo0O0oo~

"How was it?" Edward asked anxiously.

I grabbed his hand and pulled him from the office toward the elevators. "It was…okay," I said, trying to gather my thoughts after my first session with Dr. Powell. "She had a lot of good insight and I think it was just good to talk things through with an impartial third party."

"Good. I'm glad you like her. Are you coming back or is this a one-time thing?"

"Oh no. I'm seriously fucked up," I said with a wry laugh. "I'll be back next week at the same time. Good thing the semester's winding down. I have all sorts of extra time. I did tell Banner I'd work at the lab through the summer though, since you're stealing his post-doc."

"I'm not stealing Dr. Hunter. The foundation offered him a job. His fellowship was finishing up anyhow," he defended.

"I'm just kidding babe. I'm glad to have a reason to work this summer. It'll take my mind off of the drama."

We walked to his car and he held the door open for me, ever the gentleman. I leaned up on my toes to give him a soft kiss and he hummed at the contact before I pulled away to slide into his car.

"Do you have a lot to do before we leave tonight?" he asked as he started the car.

"Nope. I just need to pack up a few things. Ali insisted on providing most of my clothes so I only need to add a few things," I said as we made the slow trip across the city. "That sister of yours is so pushy sometimes."

"There's an understatement. She's been picking out most of my clothes since she was twelve," he admitted. "And it's not something I accepted easily. She used to steal anything I bought out of my closet and replace it with what she deemed appropriate attire. I promise that used to piss me off royally and I resisted for a long time until I realized it was easier to just go with it. Plus, she really does know what she's doing and I don't particularly like shopping anyhow."

"Me either, but she and I have different ideas about modesty," I said. "Which I don't mind so much when it's just you and me, like on the island, but I'm a little afraid of what she's picked out for Vegas."

We pulled up to the house, Edward entering the code into the new security keypad that opened the new front gate. It was fuckin Fort Knox, I swear. Pulling into the drive, I watched as Jane's car followed us in and the gate slid closed behind her. This was all taking some getting used to. I never stayed at my apartment with Rose anymore and I missed her. I had assumed with Jasper away she might want to be here with us, but she said she was enjoying the quiet solitude. I felt like there was something she wasn't telling me, but I tried never to press things with Rose. She shuts down easily when she feels emotionally vulnerable.

"Finally!" Ali called when we walked in the door. "Bella, we have so much to do before we leave!" She said, grabbing my hand and dragging me toward her studio.

"Um, Alice, what exactly do we have to do?" I asked.

"Well, you need to do a final fitting on the dress you're wearing tomorrow night and I wanted to have you look over the print campaign images with me before I approve the final proofs," she said so quickly I had trouble keeping up. "I'm not sure about which image to choose for the full page ad I'm submitting for Vanity Fair. I chose an image for the New York Times Fashion Mag. ad, but I want something a little edgier for Vanity Fair, you know?"

She led me to one of her large work tables. It was covered in images of the various models she'd worked with. My eyes were immediately drawn to a stunning image of Maggie and me. It was taken just after my cast was removed. The image was taken from below. Maggie and I were standing on the edge of an abandoned railroad bridge with our hands clasped. We each had our free hand gripping the rails of a bridge and we were leaning forward slightly with our bodies bowed slightly toward the camera. The trust and intimacy of the posture and the contrast of her dark skin against my pale skin was breathtaking.

"I love that one too," Alice said when she saw me staring at the picture. "That's the one I was partial to, but you just tipped the scales for me. It just kind of jumps out at you doesn't it. I was afraid it looked a little like you were about to follow through on some suicide pact or something…"

"No, it's lovely," I assured her. "To me it shows absolute trust. We had to trust one another implicitly to pose like that. If either of us had let go, or faltered we would have fallen. You can't tell from this image that the drop wasn't very high."

"Oh good! It's a done deal then," Ali gushed. "I'll tell the designer to send this one on over. Let's get you fitted so we can head to the airport. I can't wait to see Jazz! I miss him so much it hurts" She pouted sweetly as she spoke. On anyone else it would have been annoying, but Ali pulled it off.

 **EPOV**

"Dude, you should totally do it," my brother said for the tenth time since we'd been onboard. "I'd love to have her as a sister. Bella's awesome. Plus she doesn't hate me, so that's a bonus."

"Emmett, for the last time, I'm not going to ask Bella to marry me in some quickie Vegas wedding. She deserves better than that." I whisper yelled. The girls were back in the bedroom getting changed before we landed. The last thing I needed was Bella overhearing my brother's idiotic ravings. "Now for fucks sake please stop talking about this before one of them catches on!"

"Fine! I still think you're being a pussy though," Emmett mumbled as the girls came back in the main cabin all laughing about something or other.

"Hey baby," I said, pulling Bella down onto my lap. "You look stunning." I nuzzled her neck and kissed behind her ear earning me a soft moan.

"Gross, bro!" Emmett groaned before getting up and wandering over to the bar. Bella started giggling at his stupidity.

"So, what time are we meeting up with Jasper?" I asked.

"We'll check into the hotel and meet him for dinner at the steakhouse there around 9. Ali booked everything," she said shrugging.

I loved that she was trying to take the extravagant way my sister traveled in stride. She didn't complain once about the family jet and hadn't batted an eye at Ali's insistence that we'd be in the Presidential Suite at the Venetian. Ali and Jasper were staying in another suite, apparently needing their own dedicated space to celebrate their reunion. Jasper would be flying back with us after his show tomorrow night, but the rest of the band wanted to stay a couple more days to check out the city.

~oo0O0oo~

"This is fucking insane. This place is bigger than Charlie's house in Forks," Bella said as we entered our suite. I had to admit it was excessive. "Why did Ali and Jay need their own suite again?"

"I dunno. Privacy I think," I answered as I dropped our bags in the closet. "You have to admit this room is awesome though." I crossed the room and wrapped my arms around her waist as she gazed out the giant window overlooking the canals below. "I'm so glad we had this chance to get away for a couple of days. I think we all really needed it."

She turned in my arms to face me and slid her hands up to rest on my chest. "I agree. Thank you for being patient with me. Dr. Powell did help and I'm starting to feel more like myself again."

"I can tell, baby. You seem lighter than you've been in a while," I said as I brushed the hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. She leaned up and kissed me, sweetly at first, but a hungry edge crept quickly in. Before long we were grappling with our clothing and I was backing her toward the bed. I eased her down onto the middle of the large bed, my hands sliding under her skirt as we shifted further up toward the headboard. I slid her panties down and tossed them aside. My fingers found their way into her slick, hot folds as my mouth traveled down to her exposed nipple. She gasped and moaned as I slid my fingers in and out of her, working her clit with my thumb.

"God yes!" she moaned as I bit down not-so-gently on the firm peak of her nipple. I knew she liked a little bit of pain when she was this far gone. My mouth traveled across her chest and took possession of her other perfect, pink nipple. My fingers worked in and out of her with more determined movements as I felt the signs of her impending climax. As my teeth sunk slightly into the tip of her breast Bella's body tensed and she cried out in ecstasy. I watched in awe as her face contorted in pleasure for what seemed like an eternity. Her orgasm faded and my hand stilled. I slipped my fingers from her and licked them clean. Her eyes opened lazily and she watched my mouth with rapt attention. When her breathing eased her hand found my belt buckle and began trying to free me from my pants. My erection was painfully hard at this point. There was nothing in the world like making my girl cum like that.

A sudden, loud knock at the door caused us both to freeze. "You guys ready? We're supposed to be downstairs in five minutes to meet those guys."

"We'll be out in a second Rose," Bella called as she moved away from me. I couldn't have that, so I grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back down into my arms. She squealed at my unexpected move.

"Doesn't sound like you'll be right out," Rose accused through the door. "Don't leave me out here with Emmett. He's starting to get on my nerves."

"I'm coming Rose! Jeez!" Bella yelled.

"TMI, Bella! Just finish up and get your asses out here pronto!"

Our eyes met and we both burst into laughter. I tried to keep Bella in bed for a few minutes longer, but she didn't want Rose to be stuck hanging out with Emmett.

"Give me a couple minutes, baby and I'll meet you down there," I said as Bella slipped her panties back on. She glanced down at my highly visible problem and smirked at me.

"I promise to make it up to you after dinner," she said before kissing me deeply.

"That's not very helpful unless that's your way of telling me you want to be later for dinner," I remarked, pulling her back down to the bed.

"Seriously, I am going to kill your annoying brother if you guys don't get your asses out here soon!" Rose called through the door.

"Ugh! She's not gonna let up," Bella said with a pout. "Meet us down there okay?"

With one more quick kiss she pushed off the bed and slipped out of the room. My head fell back against the soft bedspread and I scrubbed my hands over my face in frustration. This was going to be a long fucking dinner.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Hi there lovelies. Thank you, thank you for all the love! I'm sorry this is so late, but apparently getting your house ready to sell is stressful and time consuming. Who knew? ;o)**

 **Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy!**

 **Obvs. : I don't own twilight or its characters, but I do own this little plot.**

 **EPOV**

Well dinner had been…interesting so far. I showed up a few minutes late, still struggling to cool off after Bella had been dragged away from me by her cockblocking best friend. The hostess led me to a small private dining room that was filled with Jasper's band along with Bella, Rose, Emmett and Ali. When I arrived at the large, round table things were tense to say the least. Most of the band was standing around the room, just hanging out and drinking. At the table I found Emmett looking like he was about to punch Jasper while Jasper appeared to be trying to chew off my sisters face. I felt a low growl in my chest as I dropped down onto the seat next to Bella. She looked up at me with her brow raised and a devious smirk on her face. Apparently she found my irritation with Jasper and Ali amusing.

She leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Rose and I have a bet going on which one of you is gonna punch Jay first. I said it would be Emmett, so try to control yourself until he loses his cool."

I groaned, hating that I couldn't punch the bastard who was currently painting the inside of my sister's mouth with his slobbery tongue. "How much did you bet? Can't I just pay you so I can punch him?" I whispered.

"Uh, we never bet for money," she said quietly before licking my earlobe. Such a fucking tease. "We always bet favors."

I nipped at her earlobe in return before asking, "What's so important that I can't punch that ass-hat over there licking Alice's tonsils?"

"Well if I win, Rose is gonna trick out your Volvo for you, as a little birthday present. I promise she'll do crazy cool stuff with your car. Last term she worked on Jay's car for her final project in one of her classes. She added all of these sweet performance, safety, and efficiency upgrades. His car is like an awesome concept car masquerading as a Camero."

I watched as Jasper's hand grabbed onto Ali's ass through her hiked up dress. Her legs were draped over his lap, leaving little hidden from view. I couldn't believe my sister was acting like this. "Baby, I'm sure that would be awesome, but I think I have to deal with this fucker before Emmett breaks his jaw. If I punch him, he'll likely only lose a tooth or something minor like that."

"Fine, but that means I have to bake Rose breakfast treats at least twice a week for the next two months," she pouted.

"I'm sorry, baby, but this shit has to stop," I said.

Just as I was about to intervene in the horrifying grope session going on at the table, Emmett stood abruptly from his seat, knocking over his chair in the process. "That's it!" he shouted picking up our sister from Jasper's lap and placing her on the seat next to Rose. Ali glanced around the table with a dazed expression on her face. I wondered if she'd taken something; she seemed totally out of it. "You, shithead, need to show more respect for my sister." Emmett's voice boomed through the room, instantly extinguishing all other conversation.

Emmett lifted Jasper by the shirt, raising him from the seat roughly.

Jasper snorted, "That's rich coming from you."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Emmett fumed, his face was getting red and that ugly vein in his forehead was pulsing angrily.

"I mean, you're one to fuckin lecture me about respecting someone's sister," he said slowly. He seemed entirely unconcerned with Emmett's firm grip on his shirt or the angry glare aimed his way. "I show Ali more respect than you show to my sister…" A smug grin tugged at Jasper's lips and my brother's eyes grew wide as his words sunk in.

"Holy shit!" I heard Bella hiss next to me. I followed her gaze over to Rose, who looked shocked and embarrassed.

Rose stood up suddenly saying, "Fuck you Jasper. You don't know what you're talking about." She bolted from the room.

Emmett seemed to hesitate, torn between finishing the shit he'd started with Jasper and following Rose.

"I've gotta go after her," Bella said, climbing off of my lap and racing after Rose.

"What the fuck did you do Emmett?" I demanded.

He looked over at me and the look of hurt and confusion on his face shocked me. It quickly turned to anger before Emmett raised his fist and landed a heavy blow on Jasper's face. He dropped Jasper to the floor and stalked off. Ali was immediately at Jasper's side wailing and fretting over him, but from what I could see Emmett had gone easy on him. If my brother had wanted to really hurt him he would have. Instead Jasper had a bruised jaw, which my sister was currently peppering lightly with kisses.

Having seen enough to kill my appetite for the night, I headed back to the suite. I wasn't sure where Bella and Rose had gone, but it seemed safest to wait there. The living room was dark and empty when I entered, but the game room door was open slightly and a warm light was spilling out into the hallway. I found my brother leaning against the bar, taking a long, slow drag from a cigarette. I was pretty sure he wasn't supposed to smoke in here, but I decided to save that lecture for another day.

"I didn't know you still smoked?" I said without judgement as I took a seat on one of the lounge chairs. When he didn't reply or even acknowledge me, I said, "I'm sorry that I jumped to conclusions back there. I just feel protective of Rose. I don't know all she's been through, but I get the feeling that she's a survivor of something truly horrendous and I hate the idea of anyone hurting her."

He looked over at me then, his eyes curious yet cautious. "I just feel like I will never live up to your standards," he said so quietly I had to strain to hear him. The pain etched in his voice was killing me. "Growing up, you were always this model of fucking perfection to mom and dad: smart, talented, driven, obnoxiously honorable. It was a fuckin tough act to follow. At some point I stopped trying to and just decided to be the fuck-up everyone saw when they looked at me. I mean if that's what everyone expected of me, I might as well enjoy the perks, ya know?"

He paused, pulling in another lungful of nicotine and tar. As the smoke spilled from his lungs he continued, "And now, when you look at me all I see is disappointment in your eyes. Like you honest to god regret being related to a douche like me." I opened my mouth to contradict his words, but he began speaking again and with such passion it startled me.

"But with Rose, I've been trying to get her to like me, to get her to really give me a shot because I really like her. She's funny and smart as hell and she puts me in my fucking place like no one else can. And you think I'm the asshole here, but she's the one who keeps fucking me and taking off. She's the one who won't return my calls. She's the one who tells me I'm not good enough for her and then two days later wants me to get her off. And I'm so fucking hung up on that girl it's not funny, but she won't let me forget that I'm never gonna be good enough for her." He turned away then, gazing back over at the bottles of liquor behind the bar.

"Fuck Em," I muttered. "I am so incredibly sorry that I make you feel that way. And that shit with Rose is fucked up. I think you need to talk to her and tell her how she's making you feel. Ask her to think about how she'd feel if someone treated her the way she's treating you, because we both know she'd break a shoe off in someone ass before she'd let someone belittle her the way she's done to you."

He looked over at me then with new interest in his eyes. He grabbed a bottle of scotch from the bar and two glasses before joining me in the seat nearby. He set the glasses on the table between us and poured out a healthy serving for each of us. I sipped my drink while he knocked his back in one go and poured himself another.

"Or you could tell her your done with her shit," I suggested. "I think it's great that you want to open up to someone, but if Rose isn't in it for the same things you are, it may be best to cut your losses and move on."

His brow furrowed and his eyes saddened, but he only nodded and threw back the contents of his glass before going to pour another.

"Em, you should slow down," I said stilling his hand.

"Dude, the girl I love is treating me like shit and enjoying my fucking pain. I'm gonna have as many drinks as I want." He pulled the bottle away clumsily and continued refilling his glass.

"Love?" I asked, trying to hide my surprise.

"Jesus, Eddie, you don't have to sound so shocked," he said, his words starting to slur just slightly around the edges, making me wonder what he'd had to drink earlier, because he was no lightweight. "I have a heart, you know. Fuckin shock of the century: the douche of the family is not as heartless of a bastard as everyone thinks."

"I'm sorry, Em. That's not what I meant," I explained. "It's just that you've been campaigning pretty heavily for sex without emotional attachments for that last several years. And I just found out that you and Rose don't hate each other, so let me catch up a bit, alright? I'm not questioning your humanity or anything."

Emmett growled and slouched down into his seat. The pouty scowl that graced his face made him look about ten years old, and I was reminded again of how alone in dealing with the world he and Ali had been.

"I know I've sucked as a brother since mom died. I know you needed someone and I wasn't here," I said, gaining his attention. "I'm truly sorry about that Em. If I had been well, it wouldn't have happened, but I didn't even realize how messed up I was until I met Bella." I paused, trying to figure out how to voice what I was feeling. "I want to be here for you. I want to be the brother you need and deserve…if you'll let me."

He stared at me with an intense frown for a long minute before he nodded tersely and began sipping from his drink again. I had a feeling it was all that I was getting from him tonight, but I'd take it for now. We sat in silence for a while until we heard a commotion out in the living area. I rose from my seat and went to peek out the door. I heard a door slam and I stepped out of the room to investigate. Following the sounds of laughter and muffled voices, I discovered the girls in Rose's bedroom but the door was shut and I knew better to disturb them. I heard shouting about room service and something about 'fuckhot brothers' before music began playing loudly in the room, drowning out all other sound.

Deciding not to interrupt them, I turned to find Emmett standing behind me. He looked like he was about to charge into the room. I pulled him away, back to the game room.

"Let her cool off," I suggested. "Talk to her in the morning."

"Yeah," he agreed. "I'm just not sure what I want to say at this point. Maybe you're right. Maybe I need to move on and cut my losses. I don't want to push her into something she doesn't want…" He paused as he grabbed some snacks from the bar area before returning to his seat. "It's just that sometimes, I get the feeling that she feels more for me than she wants me to know. She tells me things that are personal and we have fun together, you know?"

"I really think you need to be honest with her and tell her to stop stringing you along if she doesn't want anything else from you." I said.

We talked well into the night and ordered some burgers from room service around midnight after realizing that we'd never gotten to eat dinner earlier. I woke up on the floor with my face pressed into the plush carpet. My head was pounding and my mouth tasted like ass. I lifted my head and groaned at the splitting pain that shot through my neck. My brother was passed out, sprawled along the sofa, with the empty bottle of scotch dangling from his fingers.

With some difficulty, I got myself up off the floor. I extracted the bottle from Emmett's hand and left it on the bar. I found a blanket in a nearby closet and covered my brother with it before flipping off the light and making my way to my room. I was sad, but unsurprised to find the bed empty. As I set my phone on the dresser I saw that I had a few texts from Bella. The first was informing me that she was staying with Rose tonight because her friend was upset. The second was an hour later, asking me if I was okay. And the third was a picture message of me and Em passed out in the game room looking like idiot frat boys after a party. Along with the picture it said, 'I promise I tried to wake you guys, but you wouldn't wake up and you were snoring like a chainsaw. Sweet dreams, xo B'.

It was only 4 am, so I flopped down on the bed and tried to get a few more hours of sleep.

 **BPOV**

Peeling Rose's hand off of my ass, where she had a strong grip going, I scooted to the other end of the bed and burrowed deeper under the covers. That girl was absurdly handsy when she was drunk. I tried to get back to sleep, but my mind started replaying the clusterfuck that was last night.

After I had tracked Rose down in one of the many bars in the casino, I joined her, sliding onto the high stool next to her. She shot me a side-eyed glance as she toyed with the straw in her drink, but she didn't say anything.

After an insufferable silence I asked, "So…Emmett, huh?"

She sighed heavily and turned to face me. "Don't say it," she demanded.

"Say what?"

"That he's an asshole and I shouldn't have slept with him," she said, sounding utterly defeated as she dropped her head, resting it on her arms crossed on the bartop.

"Well, I certainly wasn't going to say that," I replied.

"Can I get you ladies anything," the bartender interrupted.

"Just a soda water for each of us, please," I requested.

"And four shots of Grey Goose," Rose muttered without looking up from the shield of her arms.

"Sure thing," he said before walking away to fill our order. I wanted to protest, but I knew Rose would get the shots no matter what I said.

"I wouldn't call Emmett an asshole, not since I've gotten to know him," I said quietly. She lifted her head slightly and sent me an incredulous glare. "No really, he's figuring his shit out, same as the rest of us. He has a lot of growing up to do, but he's been…I don't know, it seems like he's been trying to not be a douche ever since my accident. He never does that stupid, smarmy shit that he did when we first met him and we actually talk a fair amount when he's around. I think he's just been really lonely and lost since his folks died."

Her expression softened as I spoke. She stayed silently thoughtful as the bartender returned with our drinks. She lifted one of the shots from the bar and threw it back and almost without pausing she did the same to a second shot. Before she could get carried away, I slid the other two glasses so that they were in front of me on the bar as I pushed the water glass toward Rose. She grunted, but didn't fight me.

"I've been sort of awful to him," she whispered. "We sort of fell into bed when I was hanging out late one night after your accident. I hadn't slept with a man in years and he seemed like a no strings attached kind of guy." She paused, sipping her water and not meeting my eyes. "He started wanting more from me and I just couldn't be that for him. At first, I thought he just felt that way because I wasn't really into him. You know, like he was in it for the chase? But then, I don't know, we ended up sleeping together a few more times, each time I told myself it would be the last. He'd get bored and I didn't need or want more from him. So we're in this weird, lust/disgust thing where I can't really stand him as a person, but I keep wanting to fuck him anyway. Does that make me a horrible person?"

"Um…no Rose," I started gently, "but if he wants to be with you for real and you don't, you've got to cut him loose. If he wants a fuck buddy and you want that too, that's fine. I think it will likely end badly for one or both of you, but if you're on the same page and open with each other, there's nothing wrong with that. Just don't assume that Emmett can't be hurt, just because he acts like he doesn't give a shit about anything of substance. That's all self-protective posturing."

Rose looked more confused than ever as she snagged one of the shots from in front of me and drank it quickly. I downed the last shot before she had the chance to grab it.

"Let's go up to the room and get room service and watch stupid movies until we fall asleep."

"Okay, but I'm raiding the liquor stash there too!" she said as she threw down cash on the bar.

That had been the start to a very drunken night for Rose. Ali had joined us eventually and we all ordered greasy food from room service. Rose had insisted on listening to music at top volume and we'd all ended up dancing on the two queen beds in the room and singing along loudly. It was sort of a miracle that we didn't get reprimanded by the hotel staff for making such a racket. I suppose it's just one of the many perks to paying insane nightly rates for massive, opulent hotel suites. They probably let a lot slide for their uber rich guests.

Rose rolled over and tried to grab for me in her sleep. I moved away deftly and decided to go check on the boys. They'd been passed out on the floor of the game room last night when I last looked in on them. Emmett had looked alright, sprawled out on the sofa, but Edward was out cold on the rug in the center of the room. I had tried to wake him so he could move to the bedroom, but he had been dead to the world and I had finally given up and left him there.

Peeking in the door of the room now, I found Emmett in the same position I'd left him in last night. Edward must have moved at some point because the rug was now void of his drunken form. A couple minutes later I found him in our room, lying diagonally across the massive bed on his stomach, clutching a pillow to his chest tightly. I couldn't help myself, I climbed up so that I was straddling his hips, but he barely noticed my presence. Sliding one hand down his bare back, I let my other hand wander down his chest and under the sheet letting it come to a rest over the soft cotton of his boxer briefs. I felt him harden under my hand as I stroked him slowly, teasing him awake.

I watched his face as he began to surface from the depths of sleep. He rubbed his face roughly with one hand as his eyes open slowly. He squinted up at me, looking a bit worse for wear.

"Hey baby," he rasped before turning his body under me so that he was lying on his back. "I missed you last night."

I took advantage of our new position, resting more of my weight on him and letting my hips hit his in the process. He groaned a bit and gripped my hips in his hands as he pushed up off the bed slightly, pressing his hardness against me.

"I missed you too," I said as I grazed his bare chest with my hands, gently skimming his skin with my nails. "I did try to wake you from your cozy spot on the floor, but you were rather adamant about staying put."

His fingers slipped under the hem of the nightshirt I was wearing. "I'm sorry. I had more to drink than I usually do. Emmett is a force to be reckoned with, not that I was really trying to keep up. He just needed to talk things through with someone."

"Yeah, Rose is pretty confused about everything," I said, leaning down and pressing a kiss to his scruffy jaw. "You know, we could talk about this now or…" I pressed myself center against him and rocked my hips slightly. My lips and tongue traveled down his neck, leaving soft, wet kisses along the way. I felt his grip on my thighs tighten and he pulled me hard against him.

"I think I'm liking the 'or' option," he breathed out as I scooted down his body, trailing my tongue down to his navel. My knees dropped down to the bed, nestled between his strong thighs as I pulled down his boxers, freeing his hard cock. He hissed at my swift action and he lifted his legs to help me remove them the rest of the way. I licked my lips as I took him in my hand. Leaning down, I placed a slow, open kiss on the end of his cock before taking the head into my mouth and swirling my tongue over it.

"God damn," Edward gritted out. "That feels amazing, baby,"

He slipped his fingers into my messy hair as my mouth slid down his shaft. I loved the feel of how hard he was for me as my lips moved up and down his length. He wove his fingers tighter in my hair, making my scalp sting slightly and I rubbed my thighs together seeking some kind of friction. I took as much of him in as I could and gripped the base of his cock with my hand.

Suddenly he was pulling me off of him and I looked up in confusion. In a move so quick I hardly knew what was happening, I found my back pressed into the bed and Edward hovering over me. "I need to be inside you baby," he said. The demanding tone of his voice had me wetter than I'd ever been. I loved this side of him and he knew it.

"Yes, please," I begged as he hitched my leg up over his hip. He gazed intently into my eyes as he thrust into me in one powerful stroke causing me to cry out in pleasure. He tortured me with slow, forceful movements, pushing in and out of me at an agonizingly measured pace. He smirked when I growled in frustration.

"What do you need baby?" he asked, lifting my leg up higher over his shoulder as he pressed deeper into me. "Tell me what you need and I'll give it to you."

"Fuck Edward, I need more," I groaned out.

His hips met mine with more force, but his pace was steadily slow. "More what baby? Say it and I'll give you what you need."

"Faster Edward, I need you to fuck me faster," I cried half in lust and half in irritation.

"As you wish, Love," he said before driving into me hard and fast. He pulled my other leg up and angled his body down toward mine causing me to cry out at the new sensation. He was so deep inside me like this and as his pace increased I felt my orgasm barreling down on me.

"Fuck!" I cried as he hit my g-spot again and again sending me rapidly over the edge. My body tensed and I threw my head back in a silent scream of pleasure. I felt Edward's hips thrust against me with erratic force before he cried out in a loud roar and pulsed deep within me.

He dropped down, resting his head on my heaving chest as my legs fell down to the bed. He mumbled something against my skin, but I couldn't understand him.

Giggling, I asked, "What was that, babe?"

He lifted his head lazily from my body and looked at me with the sweetest expression of contentment on his face. "I asked, how it keeps getting better and better, every time? It doesn't seem like it could get any better, but it does…" His head rested down on my chest again.

I sighed and wrapped my arms and legs around him, wanting to feel as close to him as I could. I loved this man with everything that I was and sometimes I felt like telling him that I loved him was inadequate. No one in my life had ever made me feel so safe, so loved, so complete. I felt like we could face anything as long as we were together.

We lay like that for a few minutes before we rearranged ourselves on the bed so we could get a little more sleep before meeting everyone for brunch at noon.

~oo0O0oo~

I woke up to the sound of Edward whisper shouting into his phone. He was standing by the window in his boxers clearly trying to keep from waking me.

"What do you mean? How is that possible?" he asked, anger sharpening his tone. "I don't understand. You said you were watching her. How could she just disappear?"

He started pacing along the wall of windows as he listened, the scowl on his face deepening as he heard more. "Fine," he said with venom. "Call me the minute you know more and I want extra precautions taken here and in Cambridge. Do you understand?" He disconnected the call, but continued pacing.

"What happened?" I asked quietly.

His head snapped up at the sound of my voice and he came to join me on the bed. "Baby, Renee checked herself out of the treatment facility she was in." He paused and swallowed audibly. I was pretty sure I knew what was coming next, but I waited for him to continue. "The guys we had watching her said they followed her home, where she stayed for about an hour and then to the airport, but they lost her at the airport. They don't understand what happened. She was in the first class lounge and when she didn't come out after half an hour they went in looking for her, but she was gone. She wasn't listed on any flights and her car is still at the airport where she parked it. It's like she just vanished."

"What do you think she'll do?" I asked in a small voice. I hated that I was afraid of my own mother, but it was impossible not to be after everything I'd learned.

Edward pulled me onto his lap and wrapped me in his arms. "I honestly don't know baby. She clearly realized that she was being followed and found a way to change that situation. All we can do is be extra vigilant and not let down our guards, even if she doesn't surface right away." He pulled back to look me in the eyes. "I won't let her hurt you, Love. I will do whatever I have to do to protect you."

The fierceness of his declaration warmed my heart and eased my anxiety. I reminded myself of what I'd realized earlier this morning. "Thank you," I said. "I know we can handle anything we face, as long as we face it together."

He hugged me tighter and kissed the top of my head. "Together," he agreed.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Hi there friends. Thank you so much for all the love! Your reviews, follows, and favs mean so much to me. Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy!**

 **Obvs. : I don't own twilight or its characters, but I do own this little plot.**

 **BPOV**

"At least they stopped yelling," he hedged.

I shook my head as I gazed at the closed door. "No, when they were yelling we knew they were both still alive," I responded.

"Emmett would never hurt her, but you're right there's no telling what Rose will do."

I turned in my seat, so that my legs were draped over Edward's lap. Immediately his arm slid under my thighs pulling me snugly against him. Glancing past him I could see Ali and Jay asleep on the other side of the cabin. We'd all had a late night last night. It was really exciting to see the band playing in such a huge venue with a sold out crowd, but I hadn't really been able to fully relax since I'd learned of Renee's vanishing act. I hadn't realized how anxious I really was until we boarded the flight home an hour ago. Heading back home, to where Renee knew to look for me, was an unsettling idea.

"Hey, you okay?" Edward asked, pulling me from thoughts of my mother.

"Yeah, just thinking about everything."

"Don't worry," he said, cupping my face with his warm hand. "Jane will be with you all the time and we have extra surveillance around the lab, your apartment and the house. She may have slipped past them once, but Garrett's on a warpath; no way is he letting it happen again."

I nodded solemnly. Logically I knew he was right. The chances of her slipping by again were slim to none, but I couldn't fight this feeling that she was cleverer than I had ever realized. If she was determined to get to me, I was pretty sure she would find a way to do it.

A loud bang and Rose's raised voice drew my attention back to the closed door at the rear of the cabin. The minute we'd been given the okay to move about the cabin, once we'd reached a safe altitude, Rose had pulled Emmett into the bedroom 'to talk'. They'd been sequestered there ever since, alternating between maddening silence and impassioned, loud arguing.

"Well, at least we know they're not dead," Edward said.

"True," I answered. "Rose has a black belt in Jujitsu and she's been training in MMA for three years. Yeah, that girl is dangerous."

"Sure, but she won't kill Emmett. I think she cares for him, even if she's not ready to admit it."

I nodded thoughtfully. "She does, but she needs to figure out what she wants," I said. "She can't treat him like shit while she figures it out. Your brother's a good guy under all his bravado. He just needs to grow up and stop trying to act like he doesn't give a shit about anything or anyone."

"I think he's starting to let people in. I just hope Rose doesn't set him back," he murmured against my hair as he pulled me fully onto his lap. "I can't tell you what it means to me that you didn't just write him off as a prick. You could have and I would have completely understood, with the way he treated you and Rose. I know that he can be so much more than that guy. He just needs to let his guard down and believe it too."

"He's…well, we've talked a bit since I met him. He opened up to me some about feeling untethered to anything. He said at first he embraced it, like he was free of any responsibility, but soon it started feeling empty. Not having a home, not feeling close to anyone," I said quietly.

"He used the word 'untethered'?" Edward asked incredulously.

I chuckled softly, "No, I'm paraphrasing. I think he said, he 'had nowhere to be and nothing to hold him anywhere'."

"Well, I'm glad he's opening up to you. I think it's good for him to have someone to talk to that's not me or Ali. He said some stuff to me that was hard to hear, but I'm feeling like I understand where he's coming from better," he said. "I just hope this shit with Rose doesn't fuck him up further."

"I think she knows she screwed up. She was treating him like she expected him to treat her," I explained. "I think she thought if it was just sex without strings, she would get away without getting hurt. As horrible as it sounds, I don't even think it occurred to her that she _could_ hurt Emmett. Now she has to deal with the consequences of treating him like that. She feels pretty shitty about everything, though."

"Hmm," Edward hummed against my head. "Let's not talk about them anymore. We'll just have to wait and see whose left standing when we land in Boston."

"Okay. I'm gonna try to shut my eyes for a bit," I answered.

"Sure baby," he said pulling me into a strong hug.

I snuggled against him and let myself fall into a light sleep in his arms.

 **EPOV**

Jane crouched down by my seat in the aisle. Bella had passed out a few minutes ago, though I could tell she was only sleeping lightly where she was curled up on my lap.

"Garrett will meet us at the house to go over the new security protocols," she whispered. "He also has an update from the investigators, but there's still no word on where Mrs. Dwyer is at present. He asked for all six of you to attend the meeting if possible."

"That shouldn't be a problem," I answered.

"Alright, I'll let him know. There will be a car with one of our drivers waiting for us when we arrive," she said before returning to her seat at the front of the plane.

My brother and Rose had been quiet for a while now, which was more disturbing than reassuring. I leaned back and let myself join Bella in blocking out the world for just a little while.

~oo0O0oo~

"I still don't understand how this happened," I gritted out, trying to restrain my anger. I had managed to hold it back for the last couple of days, for Bella's sake, but now that I was face to face with Garrett it was all resurfacing. "How could she just disappear?"

"She didn't disappear, obviously," he said with frustration evident in his voice, "but she did outmaneuver us and that is completely unacceptable. We clearly underestimated her. She is much more observant than expected. The guys I had on her are two of my best. They are nearly invisible when they want to be. The fact that she eluded them may mean that she spotted them, but it could also be a sign of her paranoia."

He paused pulling out a tablet and bringing up some images on the screen. Security footage of Renee moving through the Jacksonville airport played on the screen. We all leaned forward to get a better look. We'd come to meet Garrett here at the house as soon as our flight landed, as Jane requested. Jasper and Ali sat at one end of the table, Emmett was at one side of me and Bella on the other. Rose was seated on Bella's other side. We all faced Garrett and Jane as they debriefed us on what had happened.

"Here we see Mrs. Dwyer entering the first class lounge," he explained. "My guys kept a safe distance, trying to keep a low profile. But watch this." He scanned ahead in the video before letting it play again. I watched the screen as a group of tourists left the lounge followed by a few airline workers in uniform. I scanned each face for Renee unsuccessfully.

"Oh my god!" Bella gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Ah, you spotted her, I'm guessing," Garrett said. My brow furrowed as I looked at the paused video frame. There were about nine people on the screen and not a single one looked like Renee.

"How did she do that, though?" asked Bella.

"Oh, Holy Fuck! Is that Renee?" Rose said jabbing her finger toward the screen. My eyes widened as I recognized Renee among the tourists. She had darkened her skin considerably and somehow made herself appear rather heavyset. Her hair was long and dark and large glasses covered her eyes. The whole effect added about fifteen years to her appearance and for the first time I understood how Garrett's men could have missed her. By all appearances she was a heavy, middle aged, Latina woman with bad fashion sense.

"Yes, Mrs. Dwyer, it seems is a master of disguise," Garett said bleakly. "We have no idea how she changed her appearance so quickly, but it has us on high alert that she is capable of something so convincing."

"Theater," Bella said quietly next to me.

"What, Love?" I asked.

She looked over at me with wide, sad eyes and said, "Renee was always doing community theater work. For as long as I can remember, really. She preferred acting, being the center of attention and all, but she got really into costumes and makeup for a while. I never realized she was so good at it though."

"Damn, she could have been a pro at this if she wanted to," Rose said looking closely at the screen. "Well, I don't know about everyone else, but that scares the shit out of me. How the hell are we supposed to keep an eye out for the evil bat if she can morph into other people so easily?"

A grim silence fell over the table for a moment before Garrett spoke. "It's a real concern for us and we're taking it very seriously. We are watching her credit cards and cell activity, but she hasn't been using either. My guess is that she has plenty of cash and that she'll use a burner phone if she needs one. Whether from paranoia or awareness of my team, she is functioning like someone on the run, avoiding detection."

"Shit B, your mom is like some kind of secret agent with all this," Emmett exclaimed, waving a hand at the screen. "What are we doing to keep little B safe? I don't like this wait around for her to show up shit!"

"I assure you we are not sitting around waiting. My team is working night and day to find Mrs. Dwyer. We are working through back channels as well as with law enforcement. She will make a mistake and we will catch her as soon as she does. I won't let her slip by us again." The sheer determination in his tone was reassuring, but I couldn't push aside my unease at the fact that she'd outsmarted him once before. Renee was a slippery, shrewd menace and she wouldn't be deterred easily.

We spent the next hour going over the new security upgrades. Bella would be traveling in one of the security team's cars whenever she was out. She grumbled a bit at this, but quickly accepted it when all of us argued in support of the precaution. We each had instructions on what to do in case of a Renee sighting. Bella and I stayed behind after the others had been dismissed.

"There's one other thing I want to talk to you about," I started. "Or rather, that I want to show you."

Jane raised a brow at me and I gestured for them to all follow. I led them up the first set of stairs and halfway up the second set. I paused one the landing and gestured toward the ornate molding on the wall.

"This was one of my mother's little additions to the place. She was a big fan of Frances Hodgson Burnett* and always had a love for secret hidden passageways and gardens." I pressed my fingers firmly on the side of the molding until I heard the soft click. The panel opened slightly allowing me to grasp the edge and swing open the small doorway.

I heard Bella gasp beside me. "A hidden passage?" she asked in wonder.

"A hidden room actually," I corrected. "She has hidden passages throughout the house in Chicago, but here there is only this room. Next time we're in Forks I'll show you the secret garden she had built there."

I led them through a small, short passage which opened into a small room. I flicked on the wall switch, illuminating the room in a soft amber light. There were bookshelves lining the walls, a cozy chair and a small sofa along one side of the room. It was a simple little library, but comfortable enough.

"I cleaned it up before we left, thinking it might be an ideal safe room," I explained. "I could add some provisions, like food and water just in case anyone is in need of it. Ali and Em know this is here, but I didn't want too many people to be aware of it."

"This is excellent, Edward," Garrett said. "I would also like to leave a cell phone in the room along with a small weapon, a taser perhaps."

I nodded, agreeing that these were sensible additions.

Jane asked, "How would you feel about adding a secure door on the inside passage with a keypad. That way only approved people could enter. Right now, the only secure thing about this room is that it's hidden."

"That makes sense," I agreed. I looked over to see Bella skimming the shelves with her fingers, reading the spines of the books lining them.

Her eyes lifted from the shelf and turned in my direction. "Your mother amassed a wonderful collection. There are several rare first editions here," she said reverently. "There are worse places to be trapped, I suppose."

"Well, hopefully we'll never need it," I said, pulling her into my arms. "You can come in here anytime though, just to hang out."

"I'd like that. I like getting to know your mom through the things she left behind. It's kind of amazing how much of herself she left you guys." She smiled up at me sadly and my chest warmed at her words.

"I love you so fucking much," I said before kissing her, forgetting for a moment that we weren't alone.

She pulled back sooner than I would have liked, her eyes darting behind me toward Jane and Garrett.

"I love you too," she said softly, "so fucking much."

I chuckled at her soft teasing and turned around to finish talking with Jane and Garret.

 **BPOV**

"I thought I'd find you here."

I looked up as Edward entered my quiet, little bubble. Whenever I had some free time here, I'd been stealing away to the secret library, as I'd started calling it. I couldn't make myself call it a safe room, in spite of the security keypad that had been added a couple of weeks ago.

"Yeah, I'm just finishing up some notes for Dr. Banner," I said. "I won't be much longer."

"Do you mind if I join you or did you come here for some alone time?" he asked.

"No, you can come in. I just like it in here."

He smiled warmly at me. "I'm glad. It's like she made this room for you."

I couldn't help smiling at that. I wished for the millionth time that I had gotten to meet Esme Cullen. The way her children spoke of her left little doubt to how special she was.

"Emmett's downstairs sulking," he said as he joined me on the sofa. "He ate all of the pie you made and most of the cookies."

"Well, at least he's not drinking anymore. That was an ugly few days."

"Ugh, tell me about it," he said. "I'm the one who had to help him get to his room and make sure he didn't vomit anywhere he shouldn't."

I giggled at that. Emmett had been a mess for a week after we'd returned from Vegas. From what I'd gathered, he and Rose had decided to take a break from each other while she figured out what she wanted. She promised not to give him mixed messages and he promised to give her space to decide if she was ready to try for something more with Emmett. He seemed to have forgiven her for how she'd treated him, but he couldn't let things continue as they'd been going.

Rose seemed as messed up as Emmett, though in a subtler, less drunken way. She'd been quiet and thoughtful and decidedly un-Rose-like. It was kind of creepy actually. She didn't even prank Jay when he deliberately tried to irritate her by shrinking her favorite cashmere sweater. She just shrugged and said it was no big deal. That's when we'd all realized how much she was struggling. I'd tried talking to her, but she refused to discuss the situation with Emmett beyond what she'd told me after they'd first talked.

"Garrett called," Edward said drawing me from my thoughts. "Still nothing on the Renee front. Phil seems to be working out of his London office for an extended time now. He's got an apartment there and shows all signs of settling in for a while. He also gave me an update on security for the party next week. He's increasing his guards and the hotel will be locked down tighter than the White House. Renee would seriously have an easier time getting to the president than getting into the venue."

"Okay. Ali's got a dress made for me that she's super excited about," I replied, sounding more comfortable with the idea than I really was. I don't know why, but this fundraising dinner for Edward's foundation seemed like a bad idea to me. It felt like we were exposing ourselves in the worst way, but I wanted to go and support him and the new Esme Cullen Cancer Research Institute he was helping to found. I was so proud of the work he was doing.

"Vicki's flying in and bringing some friends with her. She tried to pass it off as being supportive of me, but I think she has a thing for James," he confided.

I giggled, "Dr. Hunter doesn't stand a chance against Vicki."

We sat together while I finished up my work and Edward read through some paperwork for the foundation. As I made my last notes and saved the file I'd been working on, my mind started drifting to Renee. It was driving me nuts how quiet things had been. It was like she'd vanished without a trace. Charlie was hopeful that she was off wallowing somewhere after losing Phil, but I think even he knew how naïve of a hope that was. I'd been spending most of my time at the house when I wasn't working. More often than not, I settled into this little room when there was nothing else going on. I'd be lying if I denied that I felt a little safer here, hidden away in the little haven that Esme had built.

"Should we go see if Emmett has passed out on the kitchen floor? He looked like he was minutes away from going into some kind of sugar shock," Edward asked.

"Sure," I said as I stood and stretched my back. "Maybe I should make him something with vegetables and protein. I could make a stir fry or something."

"That'd be great, baby. He might actually eat it if you're the one who makes it," he said weaving his fingers with mine. "He just scowled at me when I offered to make him an omelet earlier. I know I'm not as skilled in the kitchen as you, but I can make a few things well."

"You're a good cook, babe. I love your omelets. Oooh and you make a mean chili. That's delicious!"

"Thanks, love." he said as we exited the room. We made our way down and found Emmett in the exact state that Edward had predicted.

"Oh man, this is bad. I wish Rose would figure her shit out already," I said as I crouched down and pulled the spoon from Emmett's fingers.

"What if she decides she doesn't ever want anything with him? He'll be crushed," he argued.

"At least things would be settled. Right now he's just waiting, not knowing. That limbo can be torture."

"We're not talking about Em anymore are we?" he asked.

"I don't know," I said. "I guess not. I hate all this waiting around for her to pounce. I feel like a sitting duck."

Edward wrapped me in a tight hug and kissed my forehead. "You're not a sitting duck. We've got you well protected both here and when you're out. She won't get to you."

"But how long can we go on like this?" I asked. "What if she's just waiting us out? Waiting for our guard to drop. We can't have this kind of security for the rest of our lives. That's insane."

"First of all, we won't have to do this for the rest of our lives because she will be found. She's clever, but even clever people fuck up and we're ready for her when she does," he said fiercely. "Secondly, we'll have security for as long as we need to. I can afford it and neither of us can afford for you to be unsafe. So we'll do what we have to do."

I nodded and looked down at Emmett where he was slumped over against the wall, leaning his side against one of the cabinets. "We should try to move him to the living room if we can," I suggested.

"And by _we_ , you mean _me_ ," he said, raising his brow at me, "because Emmett weighs like 240 when he hasn't been gorging himself on cookies and pie."

"Fine, you move him and I'll get started on dinner," I offered.

"Deal," he said before dropping down for a kiss. He nipped and sucked on my bottom lip, pulling a quiet moan from me. I pulled back before we could get too carried away.

"Later," I said.

"Mmm. Something to look forward to," he replied before stooping down to wake his brother.

~oo0O0oo~

"B, thank you so much. This is so good," Emmett said as he shoveled another huge forkful of noodles and veggies into his mouth.

"Uh, you're welcome, Em," I said. "What do you want to watch next?"

"Oh, is the new season of 'Orphan Black' streaming yet?" he asked. "That chick is awesome. She plays like thirty characters on that show."

"It's on demand, I think. Let me find it," I said flipping through the cable guide.

We were all sprawled out on the massive comfy couches in the family room. Edward had fallen asleep a while ago while we were watching our second movie. Emmett was in better spirits and I'd finally gotten him to eat something that wasn't filled with sugar and fat.

"Do you think Rosie will ever want to really be with me?" Emmett asked quietly.

I looked away from the T.V. to see him staring down at his bowl of food. His brow was furrowed and his mouth was pinched tightly. I wished I could reassure him, but I wouldn't give him false hope.

"I know she cares about you Em, but I'm not sure that will be enough for her in the end," I told him honestly. "She has a hard time trusting men. Hell, she has a hard time letting people in, in general, but with men in particular she's learned to be cautious."

"What happened to her, B? What made her so scared?" he asked.

I looked at him thoughtfully for a moment before replying. "That's a question you have to ask her. If she wants to answer you, that's her choice. I can't tell you her story. It's not my place or my choice."

"I'm sorry," he muttered. "I know, I just couldn't help asking."

"Let's watch the many sides of Tatiana**, shall we?"

"Fuck yeah!" he said. "That chick is smokin' and kick ass."

We spent the next couple of hours watching T.V. Somewhere along the way I must have fallen asleep because I woke up in bed with Edward just as the sky was starting to lighten. My phone vibrated on the table next to me and my hand snapped out to quiet the annoying noise. Through half closed eyes I peered down at the screen. I slipped out of Edward's arms and out of bed to answer the call without disturbing him.

"Hey Rose, what's up?" I asked as I closed the bedroom door behind me. Without giving it much thought, I padded down the steps and made my way to my favorite spot in the house.

"Hey B, we need to go to the early class this morning. I can't make it to the afternoon class and I am in desperate need of a good workout."

"Okaaaay…so you called me at quarter to six to tell me that you want to work out at eight?" I asked as I closed the door, locking myself in the secret library.

"Shit, is it that early?" she asked sheepishly. "Sorry Chica. I've been up for hours and I didn't realize how early it was."

"It's okay, but why were you up so early? Are you alright?"

"Uh, yeah. I just couldn't sleep so I got up and did some work on my thesis."

"Ro, your thesis is done, what is there to work on?"

"I know, I was just refining the presentation a bit. No biggie," she said, trying to sound casual and failing miserably.

"Okay, so I'll see you at eight then?" I asked. I pulled one of soft blankets off of the back of the couch and wrapped myself in it.

"Yeah, I guess I'll see you then," she said, sounding miserable.

"Hey, Rose, if you need to talk, you know I'm here for you, right?"

She was silent for a minute before speaking. "Thanks, B. I appreciate that. I'm not sure I'm ready to talk, but when I am, I promise I'll let you know."

"Okay. Try to get some sleep before class, alright."

"I'll try," she answered before we said our goodbyes and ended our call.

I knew I should head back to bed, but I was so comfy wrapped up in a soft blanket, laying on the sofa. Instead, I set the alarm on my phone for seven and settled in for another hour of sleep. I woke up in Edward's arms as he carried me up the stairs.

"What are you doing?" I asked in a whisper.

"Bringing you back to bed," he answered. "Why did you go down there? It scared me when I couldn't find you."

"I'm sorry babe," I said cupping his face with my hand. "Rose called me super early this morning. I went down there to take the call and I fell asleep after. I didn't mean to scare you."

He set me on the bed and crawled in after me. His arms enveloped me as he pulled me firmly against his chest and kissed my bare shoulder.

"Please, wake me up next time. I need to know that you're okay."

"I will," I answered. "I promise."

I let myself savor the warmth and strength of his embrace. With his arms around me, I felt like nothing could harm me.

~oo0O0oo~

"So, is it dead yet?" I asked, interrupting Rose's epic beat down of the heavy bag. She was seriously wailing on the thing.

She pulled back and gave me an unamused glare before returning to her workout. I finished putting on my gear before joining her at a neighboring bag. We worked silently, warming up with various punch and kick combinations while people started filtering in for the early morning session.

Rose abruptly stopped and turned to me, "I think I want to give this thing a chance with Emmett," she said, sounding younger and more vulnerable than I'd ever heard her sound.

I stopped my warm up and stilled the swinging bag with my palms. "You have to be sure it's what you want Rose," I said turning to her. "He really cares for you and you've already hurt him a lot. Make sure you're ready to give him a real chance or you need to let him move on."

She nodded, her face saddened. "I will never forgive myself for being so careless with him. I bought into all his macho, 'no fucks to give' bullshit and I treated him accordingly. I mean he was such a pig the first time we met. I never imagined that there was more to him." She looked up at me pleading with her eyes for understanding. The thing was, I did understand, but she needed to make things right, one way or another.

"I think I'm going to explain things to him…about my history," she said surprising the hell out of me. "I think it will help him understand where I'm coming from, why I have such deep trust issues with men."

"Wow…I…you really care for him." It was all I could find to say. Rose didn't talk about the shit she'd been through. She had told me, when things got bad with Jacob, but I had the feeling it was completely anomalous behavior. She was trying to gain my trust and warn me against the dangers of staying with someone like Jacob.

"Yeah, I do," she sighed. "I don't know how the hell this happened. I wanted to hate him so badly. I thought he was like the king of misogyny, but somehow he got under my skin and made me care for him. The bastard!"

I couldn't help but chuckle. Rose was always in control of things, especially her emotions. "It's gonna be okay Rose. Just be honest with him and yourself. Now come on, class is starting and that guy you love to spar just walked in."

She looked up with bright eyes, "That guy Felix? The one who said no girl could take him down?"

"Yup. I guess he recovered from the last time you kicked his ass," I said as we headed toward the dojo.

"This is just what I needed," she said, beaming at me. "Thanks for getting up early to come with me."

"Anytime Rose," I said but she was already psyching herself up and glaring across the room at Felix. It was hilarious watching the great hulk of a man cower slightly as he took in Rose's expression.

"Alright everyone," our instructor, Zaf said, calling the class to order. "We're doing open sparring today. Who wants to start us off?"

Rose jumped forward to volunteer.

"Okay we've got Rose. Who's brave enough to face her?" Zaf asked the group. "How about you Felix, ready to redeem yourself?" I knew Zaf took exception to Felix's attitude towards the women in the class. It seemed like she was getting a kick out of the rivalry between him and Rose.

Rose turned to me and said, "This is the best way to start my day!"

I laughed at her antics. From the corner of my eye I saw Jane pull out her phone and quietly answer a call. Her expression turned steely and her eyes darted quickly to me. In that moment, I knew something was very wrong.

 **A/N:**

 ***Frances Hodgson Burnett, writer of The Secret Garden and The Little Princess.**

 **** Tatiana Maslany from Orphan Black.**

 **Fic Rec** **:**

 **Terroir by thimbles:** ** _Isabella Swan uproots her life on a whim, moving halfway around the world in search of something more. Perhaps she will find what she's looking for in the neatly laid rows of Cullen Family Wines' Hunter Valley vineyard. Sometimes, it is the grafted vine that produces the more vigorous growth._**

 **This was a good read! Loved the character development and setting. Great writing.**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N:**

 **Hi there friends. Can I just say, you guys are fantastic! Thank you so much for all the love! Your reviews, follows, and favs are amazing and I really needed the pick-me-up this week, 'cause renovating an old house is crazy stressful. And packing up your house and getting it ready to sell is super stressful as well. Doing both at the same time, I don't recommend it.**

 **Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy! This one's a bit of rollercoaster, so buckle up!**

 **Obvs. : I don't own twilight or its characters, but I do own this little plot.**

 **EPOV**

"I don't understand how the hell this happened!" I shouted. "I thought you had your people everywhere, watching for her!"

"Edward, you need to calm down so that we can discuss this. Believe me, I'm not happy about this either," Garrett said, grimacing slightly as he spoke. The car came to a stop on the edge of campus. "We're here. Now try to remain calm so that I can assess the situation. If I have to worry about you, I can't do my job properly."

"Some job you're doing so far," I gritted out, slamming the car door shut behind me. I knew I was being an asshole, but seriously, how had she gotten through them a second time? I've met Renee Dwyer and criminal mastermind she is not.

"Hey, I know you're pissed, but the important thing is that Bella is safe. You and your family and friends are safe. That is my number one priority at all times."

We climbed the steps in front of the main entrance and navigated through the infinite corridor, the network of passageways that interlinked the various buildings on campus.

Garrett turned to me as we approached Bella's lab, his face a steely mask of determination. "Let me handle campus police. They aren't supposed to give me the surveillance footage for the hallway or the lab, but I'll do my best to convince them. We need to know that it was her, and we need to see how she pulled this off. This is a very secure lab. It's part of the reason I don't have a permanent guard here unless Ms. Swan is expected."

I huffed out an annoyed sigh. I knew they were stretched thin with the foundation dinner tomorrow night. Garrett had his team watching my house, Bella, Rose, Ali, Jasper, Me, and Bella's apartment along with setting up the security at the benefit venue. It made sense to leave this area unguarded when Bella was away, but I didn't have to like it.

I saw James talking to a campus police officer. He looked distraught and agitated, rocking back and forth from foot to foot as he spoke. He looked up at me, his face filled with remorse and sadness as we approached.

"Edward, I'm s-so s-s-sorry this h-h-happened," he stuttered out. I'd seen him nervous, but never to the point of stuttering, even when Vicki flirted with him the one time they'd met.

"It's not your fault, James. Can you tell us what happened?" I asked.

The officer spoke up first, "And who might you be?"

"This is Ms. Swan's boyfriend, Ed-ward C-cullen," James answered, sounding slightly less nervous. "Where is Isabella? Is she safe?"

"Yes, she's on her way," I explained. "She's always protected these days."

"I'm Garrett Knight, the head of Ms. Swan's security team. Can you tell us what happened this morning?"

The officer looked irritated by Garrett's presence, but didn't stop James from explaining. James took a deep breath and his nerves seemed to calm as he recounted his morning.

"I arrived at seven-fifteen this morning to open the lab. We use a security fob entry system making it difficult to enter the lab without proper clearance," he began, looking only at me as he spoke.

"I looked up at about quarter of eight to see Ms. Swan entering behind one of the first-year doctoral students. When I greeted her, she said good morning very quietly and went right to her workspace. It wasn't until she got up to leave twenty minutes later that I realized something was amiss.

"She was carrying a large box of materials out with her and I asked her if she needed help. She didn't turn to answer, which is very unlike Ms. Swan, who is always kind and polite to me. When she pushed open the door with her hip, her face turned toward me from behind the curtain of her hair. It was then that I realized that she was not Ms. Swan, but an older woman that looked remarkably like her. I was so stunned that I didn't react immediately and by the time I called after her, she was hurrying away.

"I called campus police and then went to check Ms. Swan's work station. It was completely cleared out. All of her research materials and logs were taken. This will be devastating to Ms. Swan. Even if you are able to recover her work, her materials will be compromised and unsuitable for a scientific study."

"Was this the woman you saw?" Garett asked bringing up an image of Renee on his phone. "Look carefully, because she is quite skilled with disguises."

James studied the image of Renee and his brow rose sharply, "Yes, that is her. She looks remarkably like Bella…I m-m-mean M-m-ms. Swan." He paused and shot a quick look of embarrassment my way. "Is she related to her somehow?"

"That's Renee," I answered. "Her mother. Bella has an order of protection against her."

"Edward!" I heard from down the corridor. I looked up to see Bella sprinting down the hallway toward us. She launched herself into my arms and clung to me tightly. "What happened? Did she hurt anyone?"

I wrapped her securely in my arms and kissed her head. "No Love, she didn't hurt anyone…" I paused, not knowing how to tell her the heartbreaking news about her work. She'd been making so much progress in her research these last couple of months; I just hoped this setback wouldn't shatter her.

She tensed in my arms and pulled back to look me in the eye. "What is it? What did she do now?" her voice was hard and resigned and it broke my heart to hear her sounding so broken.

"She snuck into the lab and ransacked your workspace, Love," I answered. "She disguised herself as you to gain access and made off with all of your work. James says that your workspace was completely cleaned out."

Her face was impassive as she absorbed what I was telling her. She sat in shocked silence for longer than I was comfortable with, but I wanted to give her a minute to process. Finally, she turned in my arms and shot a pained look at James who was fidgeting and dancing around awkwardly like he needed to pee or something.

"I'm so so s-s-s-sorry, B-b-bella. She looked so much like you. I didn't sus-s-spect anything until she was g-g-gone," James stuttered out. He was wringing his hands so aggressively I was afraid he'd draw blood.

Bella turned her face back toward me. Her eyes looked haunted and a broken sob ripped through her. Her body sagged as she seemed to crumple, defeated, in my arms. Pulling her against me tightly, I tried to offer her my strength as she had done for me so many times since we met.

 **BPOV**

I was numb as Edward spoke with Garrett and campus police. I was numb as I let him guide me, flanked by Jane and a guard I didn't recognized, toward a waiting car. Numb as he lifted me and carried me up to our bedroom, and number still as he held me on his lap, stroking my hair and whispering sweet words of comfort. It was like I was watching everything happen from a great distance. My tears continued and my body shook with pained sobs, but I felt so removed from my body's reactions.

"Shh, ssh, baby. I've got you, Bella," I heard Edward's gruff whisper. "I'm here, baby."

I could hear the distress in his voice, but I couldn't seem to calm myself enough to reassure him. My head felt light and my face and throat were raw from crying. I tried to hold on to his voice, tried to grasp onto it and let it ground me, but my body was racked with grief and shock.

How could Renee hate me so much? I knew she was sick. I knew she wasn't completely in control of herself, but she was still my mother, the last person I ever expected to be reveling in my suffering. She'd taken all sense of security from me, made me live in fear and uncertainty, and now she had taken my work from me, the one thing that had always filled me with purpose and given my life meaning. Even when I felt most alone in the world, I knew that my work, my contributions to medical research, were meaningful and I poured myself into it when my family made me feel unimportant or unloved. I had science, I had hope for innovation and advancement and discovery. I had hope. Period.

"Don't let her win, baby," Edward sighed out, barely audible above the sounds of my anguish. "Don't let her take this from you. Don't let her break you."

I played his words over and over in my mind, knowing he was right, but not having the strength to accept them yet. I must have cried myself out eventually, because I woke up some time later in Edward's strong embrace. He had shifted us down onto the bed at some point and enveloped me in the protective cage of his arms. His green eyes met mine and they were filled with pain and worry.

"I'm better now," I croaked out, my throat raw and dry. "I'm sorry. I…"

"Don't," he said softly. "Don't apologize. You have nothing to apologize for." He ran his fingers softly across my cheek. "I'm so sorry, baby. I'm so sorry she did this to you."

I didn't answer immediately, unsure of how to voice my feelings. There were so many emotions coursing through me it was difficult to distill everything down for him. "I heard what you said," I whispered finally. "About not letting her win. I know you're right. That being said, I know I have to mourn this loss before I can move on; I need today. I need to grieve all the work I've lost."

"I understand. You can take as long as you need. I'm here," he vowed, kissing my forehead softly.

I hummed and smiled softly. His touch, his love, had a way of easing my hurt. Without really thinking about it, I tilted my head back and captured his lower lip between my own. His body stilled in response, but I sucked and nibbled on his lips until he responded, tugging me firmly against his body and letting me deepen the kiss. I moaned as my tongue explored his mouth. He stilled again at the sound and pulled away from me slightly.

"Baby, we should stop," he protested. "You should be resting. I know you're hurting."

"No, I don't want to stop," I argued. "I want to forget, just for a little while. You always make me feel better. Help me forget…please." My voice was tinged with desperation as I pleaded with him to understand what I needed.

He stared with a furrowed brow into my eyes, searching for something, but he didn't answer me with words. Instead he attacked my mouth again with renewed need. His lips and hands moved with a new sense of urgency and I quickly caught up to him. Our clothes were shed by hurried, frenzied hands. Edward's lips descended on my breast as soon as he'd freed me from my bra. He nipped and sucked on the tip of my engorged nipple. I didn't even try to contain the fervent moan that erupted from my throat.

My hands pushed clumsily at his boxer-briefs until they slid down his body, exposing him to me fully. I grasped him firmly in my fist. He thrust his hips, gliding his length in and out of my fisted hand. His lips moved to my other breast, paying it equal attention. My back arched against him as his hand slid between my thighs, his long calloused fingers slipping inside me, pushing and pulling within me, sending me writhing and gasping for breath.

I whimpered when he withdrew his hand, but he swiftly turned us so that he was sitting and I was straddling his hips. Our eyes locked as I lined myself up and sank down on his hard length; I felt as if I was drowning in the intensity of the moment. Every nerve in my body was humming with energy as I rocked and rolled my hips against his. His rough hands gripped my ass and pulled me down powerfully, unsatisfied with my slow rocking. He continued to draw my body to his over and over with hard, deep movements. My hands gripped onto his shoulders for support as he guided my body to move with his.

I was so far gone that when he slipped his fingers between my cheeks and pressed them up against my rear entrance, my back arched almost violently as my orgasm crashed over me without warning. He thrust his hips up a few more times and fell over the edge with me, pulsing deeply within me.

My grip on his shoulders tightened, helping me to pitch myself forward and lean against his chest while I recovered. The light sweat that covered us both began to chill my skin as my body calmed. I must have shivered because Edward lifted the sheet and draped it over my back and circled his arms around me. We lay like this until our breathing had slowed and our hearts had calmed.

"Feel better?" he asked, with only a slightly teasing tone in his voice.

I chuckled against him and he groaned, stilling my body by placing his hands firmly on my hips. Realizing that he was still inside me, I lifted off of him and nestled down into his side. He tugged on the sheet, bringing it up around us so that it covered my body more completely.

"I do feel better, thank you," I answered only half joking. I added more seriously, "Your touch has a way of comforting me, not just when we make love, but anytime you hold me or kiss me. It's like a little reminder of your love. I know it sounds cheesy, but I've never felt so loved as I do with you. Not in any way. So, when every touch, every soft kiss to my temple or lips, is so filled with tenderness and affection from you, I'm reminded that you're here with me through things like this. You're here, loving me, supporting me and I draw strength from that. Does that make sense?"

His eyes were so filled with emotion when I met his gaze, but his next words were so unexpected I almost laughed, "Marry me." It wasn't a question. It was a gentle plea, so filled with ardent love.

"What?" I asked, bewildered by this sharp turn in our conversation.

"Bella, I love you so damned much. Everything you just described, I feel when I am with you. I've wasted enough time in my life with inaction and I won't do it anymore. Please," he said, leaning over, stretching across the bed and fumbling in the nightstand for something. "I've been trying to find a way since practically the moment I met you, to ask you this question."

He turned to me and held out a small blue velvet box. Flipping the lid open, he revealed the loveliest antique ring I could ever have imagined. My eyes snapped to his in disbelief. This wasn't some post-coital bliss induced proposal to be regretted later; he had planned for this.

"This isn't how I meant to do this. I wanted to do something grand and romantic for you, because you deserve something more thought out than this," he gestured toward the messy bed and I couldn't help but giggle at the absurdity of his naked proposal. His lips pulled up in that crooked grin I loved and he cupped my cheek gently in his free hand. "Please, Bella. Please say you forgive me for this horrible excuse of a proposal. It seems like at every turn we're faced with drama or threats and I don't want to wait for the perfect moment anymore. I want to face those things together. Please, Love say you want that too. Say you'll be my wife…"

He brushed his thumb across my cheekbone and only then did I realize that there were tears slowly tracking down my face. I smiled softly through my tears and answered, "Yes. God, yes I'll marry you."

The smile that lit up his face was brilliant. He tugged me against him and kissed me soundly before pulling away so that he could extract the ring from the box. He lifted my hand from his lap and gently slid the ring onto my finger.

"It's so lovely, Edward."

"Do you like it?" he asked shyly. "It was my grandmother's, but if you want something more modern we can go shopping for something more your taste."

"No, it's perfect," I said honestly. "I love that it was your grandmother's. Thank you for giving it to me. And for the record your proposal was perfect. Grand, romantic gestures aren't really my thing. This, you and me together, is all I need."

"God, I love you," he said, pulling me to his body again and infusing his kiss with the passion and truth behind his words. We got lost in each other for a second time, avoiding the world and enjoying our little bubble for as long as we could.

 **EPOV**

I couldn't believe I had finally asked her. I didn't mean to ask, but suddenly as I listened to her explain the connection I felt for her so perfectly from her own perspective, I knew. I knew I couldn't wait another minute to ask her to be mine forever. Thank God she'd said yes!

"Are you sure you're up for this?" I asked as we finished getting dressed after our shower.

"Yeah," she said sadly. "I know it sucks, but I have to face this head on. Your words keep going through my head like a mantra. I can't let her win. I can let her break me."

"You're so strong, baby," I said.

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

"Everyone's here," Em said gruffly through the phone. I could hear the anger in his voice. I love how protective he'd become of Bella.

"Yeah, we're on our way," I answered before disconnecting.

"Okay, I'm ready," Bella said behind me.

I turned and pulled her into a tight hug. "Whatever happens, we'll deal with it together."

She smiled sadly and gave me a soft kiss before we headed down to meet everyone in the kitchen. As we approached we could hear arguing coming from the room. Emmett's voice was loudest, and I wasn't particularly surprised to see him all up in Garrett's face when we entered the room.

"You're supposed to keep her safe!" he snarled. "What the fuck are you doing? With the money my brother's paying you, you could have hired an army to keep her safe. What the hell happened—"

"That's enough Emmett!" I called, cutting off his rant. "Garrett and his team are doing exactly as I asked them to. They're prioritizing the safety of everyone here. Though we're all upset at what's happened, we need to look at the positives—"

"What fuckin' positives?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, at least we know she's here in the city. That's more than we knew yesterday," I answered. "And we know that she is definitely still targeting Bella. And as much as I hate that, I would rather know as much as we can. It takes power away from her. So far, it's seemed like we were chasing a shadow, but now at least she's shown her hand."

"Edward's right," Garrett said. "Can everyone sit down and try to listen calmly. I have more to share with you."

We all gathered around the kitchen table, much like we had after we'd returned from Vegas. I was looking forward to a time when we could gather like this for happier reasons than this.

Garrett pulled out his tablet and cued up a video on the screen. "I was able to get them to let me look at the video. They wouldn't release the bulk of the footage to me, but they did give me a few short clips. Renee has been staking out the lab, each day in a new disguise. She entered the lab two days ago without incident, but only looked around and found Bella's work station before leaving. A recon mission, we're assuming."

We watched the footage as he narrated the images on the screen. The quality wasn't great, but it was still possible to make her out if you looked closely at certain frames.

"This is today," he said as she flashed on the screen in her Bella disguise. It was disturbing how convincing her disguise was.

"Well fuck," Rose muttered beside me. I was surprised to see my brother wrap his arm around her shoulders to comfort her. I was surprised further to see her lean into his side and rest her head on his shoulder.

"So far, this hasn't shown us much more than we already knew," Garrett said. "But, one of the outside cameras caught her getting into a waiting car driven by an unidentified man."

He paused the video and I gasped at what was on the edge of the frame.

"We you able to trace it?"

A slight look of triumph came over Garrett's face. "Yes, we traced it to a rental company and assumed it would be rented under an assumed name, but we were wrong. It was rented to this man," An image appeared on his screen of an unremarkable white guy who appeared to be in his mid-forties with slightly balding pale, blonde hair. "Felix Shuler. We're still looking into how they know each other, Jenks is on it as we speak. So far what we do know is, he's rented this car in his name and a room at the Marriot. The desk clerk there identified Renee by her picture as a guest staying with him there. So far they haven't returned to the room, but we have people all over that hotel and have gained access to their security footage. Our people are going over it carefully now.

"Bella," Garrett said fixing his gaze on her with concern apparent on his face. "I am truly sorry that she was able to take things that were so important to you, but this is the break we needed. She's getting careless now. It's only a matter of time before we catch up to her."

"Thank you Garrett," Bella said reaching her hand across to clasp his. "I really appreciate all that you are doing for us. I am devastated by the loss of my work from the lab, but I don't blame you or your team for that. Please, just help us put a stop to all this, so that we can find some peace again."

"Oh. My. God. Bella! What the hell is that on your hand?!" Ali shrieked from the other end of the table causing everyone to gape at Bella's hand.

"Um," Bella said shyly. "A ring?" I chuckled at her answer, which sounded like a question.

"I know it's a ring! Damnit Bella, that's Nana Platt's ring! Oh! Oh! I can't believe it really?" Ali's eyes were turned toward me with excited anticipation.

"Yes, really," I answered. "I asked Bella to marry me earlier today and for some unknown reason she agreed to be my wife." I couldn't contain my smile any longer even when Bella reached over to smack my chest at my last comment.

Suddenly I was being pulled into a strong hug by my giant of a brother. "Good job bro! It's about fuckin' time!"

I chuckled at his absurdity. My eyes drifted to Bella, who despite the crushing blow she took today, looked radiant and happy as our little family surrounded us offering their congratulations. Seeing the joy on her face, I was happy that I hadn't waited for some mythical 'perfect moment'. Our moment had been perfect for us and I was able to bring a little bit of light to her darkness.

 **A/N:**

 **Fic Recs : **

**Okay, I'm reading a bunch of great WIP fics right now. Here we go:**

 **Summer Rain By Ninkita:**

 ** _She walked in, with her attitude and a polka dot umbrella. Whatever else I expected this miserable, rainy night, it definitely wasn't this._**

So I am usually way too impatient for drabble fics, especially WIP drabble stories, BUT this one has me on the edge of my seat. Totally worth the agony of waiting for short updates ;o) Lovely writing with intriguing characters and plot!

 **Saudade By: Violet Bliss:**

 ** _Unhappy with her monotonous and seemingly aimless life, 24 year-old Bella Swan sends a wish up into the universe for more. It answers, leading her back to Forks, for a chance to fulfil the destiny always planned for her. But will the reluctant, handsome and butterscotch-eyed Dr Edward Cullen let her?_**

So enjoying this story so far! It's like twilight, but the timings and circumstances are all wonky.

 **Bella Swan USSS SPAM By:** **LillianBroderick :**

 _ **Bella had worked hard and studied hard. She graduated at the top of class. What would her first assignment be? #HEA (of course) #B/E**_

Where to begin with this story? It's so, so, so good, for starters. I love this old-timey Edward. He's adorable. Love his fab apartment and even digging Tanya so far ; ) Seriously eager for updates!


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N:**

 **Hi there friends. Thank you so much for your patience! I'm so sorry that I took so long to get this update to you and I promise that I will not pull some George R.R. Martin crap and make you wait forever for the end of the story. As you know if you've been reading my little notes, I'm in the process of moving, while managing the renovation on our new home. Now, this is not a complaint, because this is a very, very first world problem to have, but it is an explanation. I have too many things buzzing through my head right now, and I want to make sure to give you guys a quality chapter. Hence the delay.**

 **Thanks for reading! I hope it was worth the wait!**

 **Obvs. : I don't own twilight or its characters, but I do own this little plot.**

 **EPOV**

"What the hell is she doing?" Ali asked in my ear.

"She's been like this since early this morning," I answered in a whisper. "She wasn't in bed when I woke up and I found her here. Pretty much exactly like this. I tried to get her to eat something, but she just keeps dismissing me, saying, 'not now' or 'just give me a while longer'. I finally decided to just let her be."

We watched in silence from the doorway as Bella jotted notes onto the page on her lap and stacked it onto one of the many piles of papers littered about the room. She was sitting on the floor with one leg bent and the other extended. Her laptop was open, resting on the floor in front of her and covering most of the hard wood floor around her were stacks of papers, carefully organized into some intricate system that only Bella understood.

"What's she doing now?" Ali asked as we watched Bella stare out into the empty room as if she were reading some large screen that only she could see. Her hand was raised and her pointer finger extended as if it were searching for information on the invisible screen before her.

"She's got a photographic memory," I explained. "I've never seen her do anything like this before today, but I think she's recalling something. Like she can see it in her mind and she's trying to figure something out."

"Woah. That's cool."

"Yup. She's pretty awesome," I couldn't help the awe that filled my reply.

"Hey, come down for some coffee," my sister said, as we continued watching Bella's process intently. "Emmett brought some breakfast sandwiches from that yummy place on Broadway that Bella likes. Maybe we can tempt her with one."

"Okay. I'll come down for a bit," I said following her toward the stairs. "I want to call and check in with Garrett anyhow."

"I'll be right in," Ali said as she headed toward her studio. "I just want to grab my tablet so I can show you something while we eat."

I chuckled as I watched her skip down the hall. When I entered the kitchen I was greeted with the sight of my brother and Rose pressed up against the side of the refrigerator trying to suck each other's faces off.

"Eww. Gross," I said. I averted my eyes as my brother continued to grope Rose while she tried to push him away.

"Whatever, bro! You and little B are way worse and you know it. Don't even try to deny that you've had her in this kitchen. That girl practically lives in here. You've totally fucked on the counter, haven't you?"

I shook my head as I crossed the room to get a cup of coffee. Choosing not to respond to his taunt.

"That didn't sound like a no to me!" he laughed. "You know I'm right, don't you Rosie?" Em said as they settled into one of the kitchen chairs with her on his lap.

"Sure, babe," she answered, seeming uninterested in the conversation. I was glad to see they had worked things out, even if they were disgustingly demonstrative a few minutes ago.

I grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down across from them at the table. "Are these up for grabs?" I asked poking through the box of foil wrapped sandwiches.

"Yeah. We got you the cheesy bacon one you like and the avocado egg and cheese for Bella." Rose said. "Where is she anyhow? She never sleeps this late."

"Yeah, about that," I started. "She's acting a little strange this morning."

Rose's posture straightened and her brow furrowed. "Strange how? Is she freaking out about the vicious hag? I swear to god I'm gonna flay that woman when I get my hands on her!"

"No! Rose! She's fine, she's just in some kind of crazy work induced trance or something," I explained, trying to ease her anxiety. "She got up super early, like the bed was cold when I woke up at six. And she's been deeply focused on her work in the music room upstairs. She barely answered when I tried to speak with her. After the second time she brushed me off, I thought it was best to let her do her thing so I went back to bed for a bit. When I woke up she was just where I'd left her only there were more papers around her on the floor."

"Huh, yeah, she does that sometimes," Rose said with a shrug. "Usually she's had some kind of breakthrough and she has to sort everything out that's running through her head. That girl's brain is crazy. She makes the most amazing connections, things that other people overlook are so simple to her sometimes. This is good. Maybe she's figured out some new direction for her research. Maybe she can salvage some of her previous work."

"God I hope so. She deserves a break after all the shit she's suffered lately," I said.

"Don't you know, Edward?" Rose asked, "She did get that break. You're here for her. She would be shattered by now if she didn't have you to support her. You two found each other when she needed you the most."

I was surprised by how she saw the situation. I knew that Rose had grown to accept me, maybe even like me a bit, but I never expected that she would speak so warmly of my place in Bella's life.

"Thank you, Rose."

"Okay Brother dear!" Ali said brightly as she breezed into the room with her tablet in hand. "Which one of these do you think Bella would like the most?"

She plopped down into the chair next to me and shoved her tablet in my face.

"This one has a lovely view of the harbor, but it can only seat about a hundred and fifty people," she said showing me an image of a fancy looking restaurant on Boston Harbor.

"This one can hold up to three hundred, and it's got a lovely botanical garden, but it's a forty-five minute ride from the city. That's a bit of a schlep for people. And finally, this one is my personal favorite. It's here in Cambridge and they have two adjoining ballrooms that can be rented out together for larger events. The staff was very helpful and enthusiastic about working with me to make a truly spectacular event."

She looked over at me with the most childlike enthusiasm it was difficult not to laugh at her.

"Ali, I don't think Bella would be up for such a big wedding. She'll want something small. Intimate. This is all lovely, but it wouldn't be her style." I was hoping she wouldn't be too hurt, but it was better to get things straight from the start.

"The wedding? No Edward this was for your engagement party. I assumed we do something big for the wedding, like maybe bring everyone out to the Nantucket estate or down to Emmett's place in the Keys. This was for the engagement party I'm planning for you." She rolled her eyes at me as if my assumption was absurd.

"Ali, why the hell do we need an engagement party? By the time you plan something like this Bella and I could be married."

She threw her head back and burst into a fit of laughter. I looked over at Rose, wondering if Ali appeared as insane to her as she did to me. She just shrugged at me as she watched on in with an amused expression on her face.

"Edward!" Ali panted out as her laughter calmed. "You are so funny! Men! They have absolutely no idea how much time goes into planning a wedding. It takes at least a year to plan an event like this. Hell you can't even order a wedding dress of quality in less than a few months. We have plenty of time to have a little engagement party. I was thinking after graduation but before Bella's birthday, so maybe August. That way there's more of a chance that Ben and Angela will be able to make it out."

"Ali, I'm not waiting a year or more to marry Bella. Not unless she wants to wait. But I have a feeling that I have a better handle on the kind of wedding my fiancé wants than you do. Am I wrong Rose?"

She gave me a sly smirk and answered, "You're not wrong." Turning her gaze toward my sister she continued, "Bella hates spectacle and attention. She'll want something simple, with the people she loves. Better get your head around that before you start talking to her about all this, my fae friend."

Ali huffed in annoyance before turning her attention back to her tablet. Her eyes got all dreamy and soft in response to whatever she was looking at.

"Hey guys!" Bella said sweetly as she joined us at the table. "Is one of these for me?" She poked through the box of sandwiches. Emmett handed her one and she thanked him as she unwrapped it.

"Baby, is everything okay? You've been pretty myopically focused on work for the past several hours. I was starting to worry."

She smiled sheepishly as she swallowed her bite of food before answering. "Yeah, sorry about that. That doesn't happen often. I had a real breakthrough in my work though. I think I can shift the focus of my thesis to be more about the process of identifying the microbiome in breast tissue that would be most receptive to medicine introduced through bacterial carriers. I've already done a lot of the work to support that so I would only need to extend my research for another year rather than starting from complete scratch. I also think it could be a really useful step in treating specific types of breast cancer."

"That's amazing, Love," I said, wrapping my arm around her and kissing her temple softly.

"I meet with my thesis advisor in an hour. Dr. Santos and I have been emailing all morning and she thinks this is a promising solution to my setback." I noticed how she avoided mention of the theft, instead calling it a setback. I knew she wasn't ready to deal with Renee's betrayal head on yet.

"Have you set up an appointment with Dr. Powers yet?" I asked.

"Yeah. I already had one scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. I swear every time I speak to that woman, my life sounds crazier than it did at our last session. She must think I'm embellishing this shit."

"No, Bella," Rose interjected. "Everyone has crazy shit happen in their lives. All your crazy is coming at you at the same time is all. You'll get through this and we're all here for you."

"Thanks Ro. Thank you all. I know how lucky I am. Our little family of misfits means more to me than my blood family ever has. I know that sounds harsh. I do see that Charlie's trying his best these days and maybe we'll get there some day. But the truth is you guys are my family and I love you all. Thank you for helping me through this crazy shit!"

"We love you too little B," Emmett said, surprising the hell out of me. True to form, my brother broke the melancholy mood by asking, "So B, tell me the truth. You and Ed have totally done it in here right? My uptight brother won't answer me. Have you two gotten busy on that cold, granite countertop?"

Her brows lifted to her hairline in surprise at Emmett's non-sequitur. Without missing a beat she said, "Not on the countertop, no."

His brow furrowed at her response. When her eyes darted to the table in front of him and back up to meet his he dropped the remnants of the sandwich he was eating and raised his hands off the table. "No shit! On the table? Please tell me you cleaned it thoroughly after."

"Sure," she said unconvincingly. "If that makes you feel better."

I laughed, remembering the way I'd spread her out naked on the table and fucked her with my tongue until she screamed in ecstasy. I was painfully hard as I thought about pushing into her deeply as she was still shaking from her first orgasm. I adjusted myself discreetly at the memory of her gorgeous body clenching around me a second time as I pounded into her furiously. Damn, we needed to do that again.

"Wipe that smug look off of your face!" Em groaned causing my smirk to widen.

"Hey, you're the one who wouldn't stop asking until you got an answer," I taunted.

 **BPOV**

"What did Garrett have to say?" I asked as we piled into Jane's luxury sedan. She was driving us to campus where I was meeting with my advisor. Edward had insisted on coming with me. I knew he was feeling particularly on edge after everything that had happened recently, but I felt safe with Jane. I didn't really fight him on joining me today, knowing it reassured him to keep me close, but I would draw the line at him being in the meeting with me.

"He didn't have much time to talk. He said he'd call us back in an hour or so. I had the feeling that something was happening, but he cut our call short."

I leaned forward toward the front seat, "Jane do you know anything about what's going on?"

"Not really," she answered. "I checked in before we left and I was told that it was safe to go to campus, but they still hadn't apprehended Mrs. Dwyer or Mr. Schuler yet. I'll check in again when we arrive on campus, but if something were happening Garrett wouldn't hesitated to call."

"Alright. We'll just have to be patient," I grumbled.

Edward pulled me close and I leaned into his embrace. I was secretly glad that he was feeling so overprotective; he could calm me with a simple touch.

~oo0O0oo~

"I'll wait out here with Jane, don't worry," he said kissing me softly.

"Thanks, I'll be fine. It shouldn't be more than an hour. If you get bored you can leave."

"I'll be fine love," he said picking up a copy of The Economist from the table. The tiny waiting area outside the bank of faculty offices was pretty sparse. A couple of chairs and a few magazines on an end-table. "I've got this riveting reading material and Jane's exuberant company to entertain me."

"Thanks Edward. The feeling's mutual," Jane replied dryly from the corner of the room. I snorted at her unexpected retort.

"Sorry Jane, I'm just kidding. I know you're working," he said sheepishly. "Go, baby. We're fine."

"Fine," I said as I knocked on Dr. Santos' door.

"Enter," she called from inside.

I opened the door to find a sympathetic look on Dr. Santos' face. I knew I was fortunate to have such a supportive and understanding advisor. Her guidance and encouragement had been invaluable.

"Come in and have a seat Ms. Swan. We've got our work cut out for us, but I think you're up to the task. I read over the new outline you sent and I'm very impressed at what you've gleaned from your remaining research data."

"Thanks. Dr. Santos," I said plopping down in the chair across from her desk. "What do you think of the timeline I laid out? Is it realistic or do you think I'm being overly ambitious?"

"Let's break this outline down a bit further. This is an excellent start, but we need to get to a more granular level before we'll have a sense of how realistic your expectations are."

An hour later I was exhausted, but optimistic. Dr. Santos had scheduled another session with me after my therapy session tomorrow afternoon. She was hopeful that I could complete my work in the timeline I'd projected, which was a relief.

"How'd it go?" Edward asked as I exited the office.

"Good. I guess. There's a lot to do, but at least I know where to start. I think this work has the potential to be really valuable." I said as he welcomed me into his arms.

"That's wonderful Love," he said holding me close against him. "I just got a call from Garrett. They've got Schuler and they're holding him in his suite at the Marriot. They're questioning him before they turn him over to police."

"Do you think he knows where Renee is?" I asked hopefully.

"I don't know. Love, would you mind if I go down there and join them? I want to be there while they question him. Garrett said he'd send one of his guys for me."

"Yeah. I don't really want to see him though. If it was Renee, I'd have more than a few words for her, but I think this guy is just some schlub she's duped into helping her," I answered.

"Why don't you go back to the house with Jane and I'll head over there. I won't be long. Do you think you're up for the dinner tonight? It's okay if you'd rather stay home with everything that's going on," he said softly.

"No, I'd like to go. It's a big night for you. I don't want to let her ruin things anymore," I replied.

"Okay, Love. Ali would be thrilled if you let her help you get ready." I groaned at the prospect of Ali's primping shenanigans, causing Edward to chuckle. "It won't be that bad. Just don't let her bully you. And don't let her bully you about the wedding. I'm happy with any type of wedding you want. Just as long as we end up married at the end of the day."

I was a little worried about that warning. What the hell did Ali have in mind? I decided not to spend time worrying about it now. I'd deal with her when I had to.

We parted ways and I followed Jane to the parking garage at the back of the building. I mentioned the change in my schedule to her, my new meeting with Dr. Santos tomorrow. I couldn't wait until my life was simpler again. Jane was great and really unobtrusive, but I missed feeling safe on my own. I missed wandering around campus on my breaks and not having to check over my shoulder at every turn.

 **EPOV**

"You can observe, but let us do the talking. Understood?"

"Fine." I agreed against my better judgement.

Garrett opened the door to the bedroom where they were holding Felix. He was sitting in a chair near the window looking like he was about to shit his pants. I slipped into the room and sat on the chair across the room, trying my best to do as I was told.

"Mr. Schuler," Garrett barked out, causing the quaking man to jump in his seat. "You said you don't know where Renee Dwyer is. Did you know you were helping her to terrorize her daughter and that you assisted her in breaking into a secure lab at MIT where she destroyed invaluable research materials and years of her daughters work?"

"W-what?" he asked wide eyed. "She said she was trying to get in touch with her daughter. She said her ex was keeping them apart. He's a cruel bastard who won't let Renee have contact with her daughter. I'm not sure the extent of his abuse, but he's emotionally if not physically abusive to Bella. He's a dangerous, powerful man with eyes everywhere. Renee wouldn't say, but I'm pretty sure he's mafia." He was practically whispering the last part. His eyes darted around the room when he was met with silence from Garrett and his men.

"You work for him don't you? You're gonna kill me now aren't you?" he exclaimed, as his breathing picked up. The man was going to hyperventilate if he didn't calm down soon.

"Relax, Felix, no one's going to hurt you if you cooperate," Garrett said sternly. "I'm afraid you've been misled by a mentally deranged woman. Renee has delusions about her daughter and has been trying to inflict harm on her for some time now. Ms. Swan has an order of protection against Renee. Before she joined up with you, she had just checked herself out of a mental health facility where she was diagnosed with severe mental illnesses. She is homicidal and you have been assisting her in her efforts. After you've told us everything you know, we will hand you over to police. You will likely face charges as an accessory to her crimes."

"Wait a minute now, I was just trying to help her. She needed my help. I didn't know she was crazy. She was terrified for her daughter," Felix implored.

"Where is she now?" Garrett demanded.

"I don't know. She was supposed to meet me back here this morning. She said she finally found a way to speak to her daughter without her ex interfering. But she was supposed to be here by now."

Garrett caught my eye and I got a sick feeling in my stomach. I watched as he pulled out his phone and connected a call. After a minute he growled and turned to his man by the door. "Janes not answering. Trace her and get eyes on them. NOW!"

The man hurried from the room. Garrett lifted his phone to his ear again and turned to me, "Bella's not answering her phone either. Somethings not right."

I tried her on my phone but it went right to voicemail. I tried Emmett at the house, but he wasn't answering. I finally got Ali on the phone, but she hadn't heard from Bella or Jane since we'd left for her meeting earlier. I was about to dial Rose when the guard Garrett had sent out burst back into the room.

"Boss, we found Jane. There's been an accident on Memorial Drive. It seems she lost control of the car and hit the cement barrier. She's en route to the hospital now, but I don't know what injuries she sustained. Ms. Swan was not in the car when the ambulance arrived. We are searching the area for her now. Maybe she was disoriented and went looking for help."

"No, this is Renee. It has to be," I seethed. "She has Bella. You have to find her before she hurts her any more!"

Garrett kicked into action, barking orders at his staff around the room before making a series of terse phone calls. I sat, feeling useless as I watched the flurry of activity around me. I couldn't just sit here and do nothing like some kind of impotent fool. I stood abruptly and faced Felix, who sat all but forgotten in cowering in his chair.

"You!" I demanded. "You must know something! Where else has she been since you've been here? Did you give her any money? Does she have access to a vehicle? This is life and death so don't just sit there silently and let the woman I love die if you know something that could help us find her!"

Without realizing it I had pulled him forcefully from his chair by his shirt and I held him aloft as I spat my words toward his cowardly face. He sputtered as I held his gaze fiercely, waiting for some tiny fragment of information that could help us.

"I-I-I don't know where she is…." His panic was plain to see as he began to ramble, "I met her last week at South Station. I was here on business and I was heading home, but then I met Renee. She needed help and I-I-I guess I fell for her. She's so beautiful and she was so sad and I just wanted to help her see her kid. At first we stayed at a smaller motel by the edge of the city, but she said we needed to be closer to Bella's school so she could try to see her more easily so we moved here. I did give her some money, but not much. I'm not a rich man, but I do well enough to help her out. I have the car here. As far as I know she didn't rent another one. I don't know what else to tell you…"

I flung him back in the chair where he curled up into himself. If I had it in me to care at the moment, I might have felt bad for the bastard for getting pulled into Renee's web, but Bella was the only thing in my head just now. I turned to see Garrett staring at me with a look of respect.

Glaring down at Felix he demand, "What was the name on the motel you were at when you first got here?"

"Uh…I can't remember. It was on Rt. 2 by alewife train station. Something 'hotel grand'. There weren't any other motels around."

"I know the place. Let's go," Garrett said, leading me out of the room. As we left the suite he turned to one of his guards and gave instructions on handing Felix over to the police.

"Do you think she went back there?" I asked as we waited for the elevator.

"I think she might have. She has limited resources and limited time. She knows we're looking for Bella and it's only a matter of time before we catch up with her. I have people out checking other leads, but my gut tells me we're on the right track."

As we made our way out of the lobby toward the parking garage Garrett's phone buzzed. "Yeah," he barked into the phone. He paused on the sidewalk as he listened. His face became stern and pained. "Fuck! Okay. Thanks for letting me know….yeah….I'll call them as soon as I can." He ended the call abruptly and turned sharply on his heel, continuing at a rapid pace toward the car.

"What the fuck happened!" I demanded. He unlocked the car with the remote and nodded his head toward it, indicating that he wanted me to get in. I huffed in annoyance, but complied.

Once we were seated in the car he said, "Jane's dead. She died about twenty minutes ago from the injuries she sustained in the crash. She had massive internal bleeding and a gaping wound on her torso. It's amazing she lasted as long as she did."

"Shit." I breathed out quietly.

Garrett pulled the car out of the lot and we made our way toward the motel Felix had directed us to. The silence in the car was heavy as we made our way across the city. Garrett's face was a mask of determination and fury. Jane was the youngest member of his team and one of only three female guards in his employ.

We pulled into the lot of a shabby looking motel right on the edge of the highway. It looked like the kind of place where you could rent a room by the hour. Killing the engine Garrett's steely voice gritted out, "Let's finish this."

I nodded tersely in reply and followed him, with a determined stride, into the bleak looking building hoping that my girl was inside and unharmed.

 **A/N:**

 **Fic Recs** **:**

 **I had a little CaraNo marathon read recently:**

 **A Bastard's Girl By CaraNo:**

 ** _Bella Cullen doesn't think highly of the Bastard bikers in her sleepy town of Fallbrook because she knows how that entire lifestyle worked out for her mom. When Edward Masen rolls into town from Nevada as the latest addition in the MC, Bella's changes her mind…slightly. But it's not long before trouble arrives._**

This was fun and action packed! And steamy, which I don't really need to say if you've read her stuff before. I always enjoy a little fun escape into her wild, smutty adventures.

 **World to Come By: CaraNo:**

 ** _Five thousand miles with the undead._**

I never really gave this story a chance because it didn't sound all that interesting to me, but boy was I wrong. This is Twilight meets the Walking Dead; I truly enjoy both of those things and CaraNo doesn't steer me wrong often. This was fun, action filled, lemony goodness. I strongly recommend it if you haven't read it. I mean, if you're into zombies stories and E/B HEA fics, that is.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N:**

 **Hi there friends. Thank you for your patience with me! I'm so sorry that I left you on that cliff, but RL has taken over lately, that crazy bitch ;o) We did sell our house almost instantly, though, so that's awesome! We just need to get through the whole home inspection/closing process and we can relax for a while.**

 **Thanks for sticking with me and thanks for reading! I hope this was worth the wait! I promise I'll start being nicer to B &E after this chapter of drama ;o) They deserve some fluffy chapters after all they've been through.**

 **Obvs. : I don't own twilight or its characters, but I do own this little plot.**

 **BPOV**

Fuck my body hurt. My head was pounding and I was sure this was a new concussion. Well aware of how dangerous repeat head injuries can be I began trying to assess myself. This didn't feel like last time. My head hurt, but I could remember what happened. The accident. Jane. Fuck, was she okay? She really didn't look okay the last time I saw her. She was gushing blood and her face was pale. Just before I'd lost consciousness, her eyes had filled with fear.

Slowly I became aware of things outside of myself. Wherever I was smelled musty like a storage unit or a neglected basement. I was laying on my side with something scratchy beneath me, rough cloth or a cheap blanket I was guessing. My arms were stretched back behind me and my hands were bound at the base of my back.

The thing that had me desperately scrambling to regain my wits was the soft sound of muttering I could hear nearby. It was Renee. I kept my eyes closed and feigned sleep while I tried to distinguish what she was saying. I heard my name and Phil's and something about everything being Charlie's fault. I cracked my eyes as carefully as I could; trying to hide my conscious state for as long as possible. She was pacing the dimly lit room several feet away from the bed I was lying on. We appeared to be in a dingy motel room and Renee was vibrating with agitation as she moved back and forth across the room.

Once I realized that she couldn't see my back from where she was, I began to try and work the knots on the rope she'd bound my hands with. It didn't seem that she'd done a very good job securing my hands. The knots were clumsy and loose. Keeping my body as still as possible, I unraveled the rope from around my wrists. I let it rest loosely over my wrists to give the illusion that I was still restrained.

Now that my hands were free I began to assess the room, looking for a weapon and escape routes. The only door was blocked by Renee's pacing form and the window looked too small to be an easy escape. I'd have to get past her to get out of here. I couldn't tell if she had a knife or a gun. I didn't think she knew how to shoot, but then again until recently it seemed there was quite a bit I didn't know about Renee.

I tightened my grip around the rope, deciding that it was the most accessible weapon at hand, but I really didn't know if I had it in me to strangle my own mother, even in the direst of situations. The lamp on the bedside table looked to be attached, but there next to it, resting just out of my reach was an empty wine bottle. Two things were suddenly clear to me: 1. Renee was at least slightly impaired, even if experience told me that her tolerance was inhumanly high and 2. I had found my weapon. I may not be emotionally capable of wringing the life out of my mother with a rope or my hands, but I had few qualms about knocking her over the head to get out of here.

While fixated on my newfound weapon I must have moved more than I realized because suddenly Renee was crossing the room toward me with an ugly sneer upon her face. Her strides were quick, but her body still trembled with rage.

"You little bitch! You just couldn't let me be happy. First you destroyed things with Charlie, driving a wedge between us however you could, and then you had to go and take Phil away from me too!" she screamed before she backhanded me across the face. I cried out in pain, my head still throbbing from the accident.

"What are you talking about Renee? How have I taken anything away from you?" I asked as calmly as I could.

"Like you don't know!" she growled in my face. "I gave up everything for you! My youth, my future, but that wasn't enough for you. You just had to keep taking. First you made Charlie hate me and then you drove off every man I met until I found Phil! Finally you had to go and seduce my husband like the little tart you are! Such a pathetic slut! Going after a man twice your age, but that seems to be your type now doesn't it? Now that you've ruined Phil you've moved on to another sugar daddy, you filthy little whore!"

Jesus she was deranged. I tried not to let her words affect me, but it's harder than you think, no matter how crazy your mother is, to suffer through her calling you a filthy whore. I felt my eyes get misty. The weight of everything she'd put me through began to crash down on me. This woman was supposed to love and protect me unconditionally. But here I was, being terrorized by her hateful delusions.

"Oh no," she gasped in mock concern. "Is poor little Bella upset now? Did I upset you by forcing you to face the truth? I won't placate you or pretend that you're little miss perfect like all your little friends do. And don't even get me started on Charlie! That man has been helping you and using you to ruin what I have with Phil! He's so jealous of the happiness I have with him! But don't worry, precious little Bella, I'll deal with him after I'm done with you."

She moved closer to me and I spotted something peeking out from under her shirt, in the waistband of her pants. The dark metal flashed slightly as she turned. I tried to remain outwardly impassive as I recognized the gun she was carrying, but I knew I needed to act quickly, before she had a chance to use it.

A sudden knock at the door drew her attention from me momentarily, giving me the perfect opportunity. I flung the rope off of my hands and in one quick motion I grabbed the bottle from the table and swung it toward Renee's head. She dodged me at the last moment, causing me to leave only a glancing blow on the side of her face rather than knocking her out as I had hoped to.

"You little bitch!" she cried reaching blindly for her gun as blood trickled down her face. I reached up to whack her again, but threw my body away from her as I watched her grip the barrel of the gun and raise it with shaking hands in my direction. The door suddenly burst open, causing her to jump and fire the gun over my head. I dove down, crouching on the far side of the bed as I heard Garrett's commanding voice.

"Drop the weapon NOW!" he shouted.

"The fuck I will!" Renee screeched "If I'm going down I'm taking her with me!"

Another shot thundered through the small room. I kept my head down with my arms protectively clutched over me. My ears were ringing loudly and I jumped as I felt someone place a hand on my back. My hands were gently pried away from me and I looked up to see the most comforting sight I could imagine. Edward's teary green eyes were staring back at me as he spoke words I couldn't hear. I shook my head and his face became worried. My head was still filled with ringing, but I couldn't find it in me to care at the moment. Throwing myself into his arms I clung to him and began sobbing against his neck as he held me tightly. Pulling me onto his lap, he rocked us back and forth as I tried to quiet the painful sobs wracking my body.

Slowly my body calmed and I succumbed to exhaustion, letting my eyes shut as I melted into Edward's strong embrace.

 **EPOV**

The sight of Renee raising her gun toward Bella and firing off a wild shot into the wall above her was enough to nearly stop my heart. Garrett responded quickly, giving her one brief warning before putting a bullet in her shoulder. Her body dropped to the floor instantly as her screams of pain filled the tiny room. As soon as she fell, her gun spilling from her hand, I raced around the bed to find Bella cowering in fear. Speaking gently, so as not to frighten her, I tried to get her attention. She didn't react to my voice so I carefully lifted her arms from their protective cage over her body.

"Bella, love. It's me," I soothed when she jumped at my touch. I watched as fear was replaced by relief when she met my eyes. "Are you hurt, Love? Did she hurt you?"

She looked at me confused and shook her head, pointing to her ear. The gunshots must have damaged her hearing, hopefully it was only temporary. She gripped me tightly as she let her emotions free. Her sobs were violent and her body shook against mine. I watched over her head as Garrett spoke with the detectives that had just arrived. I knew he would handle everything and that they were aware of Renee's threats against Bella. Garrett being ex-FBI helped, I was sure.

Eventually Bella fell quiet and I realized that she'd cried herself to sleep. An EMT examined her while she was in my arms. When he found no sign of serious injury, I refused to let them take her in for observation. I knew I was being stubborn, but she was safer with me and I'd have someone come to the house to examine her as soon as possible. The way she clung to me, I had a feeling all she needed at this point was sleep and comfort.

"Hey Edward," Garrett said as he crouched down beside us. "I've gotten them to agree to get Bella's statement in the morning, but they're going to want to speak with you both early tomorrow. Why don't you take her home to get some rest? It will take them a while to process the scene and take my statement. I don't think I will face any charges because it was a clear case of defending Bella's life, but there will be an investigation none-the-less."

"What's gonna happen to Renee?" I asked as I watched them wheel her heavily sedated body from the room.

"I'm not sure what the charges will be at this point, but at very least she'll be facing charges of kidnapping and attempted murder. If they can prove that she was responsible for the accident, she'll face murder charges for Jane's death as well."

"Do you think they'll be able to prove that?" I asked skeptically. Bella whimpered in my arms and tightened her grip on my shirt.

"I hope so," he said. Glancing down affectionately at Bella his eyes softened. "Get your girl home. I'll let you know as soon as I have news, but I'll let you guys rest for the night."

"Okay. Is there someone who can take us home?"

"Yes, Demetri is outside waiting for you. He'll drive you to the house. Rose, Emmett, Alice and Jasper are all waiting for you there. Charlie Swan is flying into Logan on the redeye and we'll send someone to pick him up in the morning."

I nodded and thanked him for everything.

I carried my love in my arms through a maze of police and security staff. I was relieved that Bella was sleeping through this all. She would likely have nightmares about the events of this day for years to come. She didn't need added fodder for her terror.

When we arrived at the house our family was waiting for us, faces full of concern and sorrow. Bella continued to sleep as I carried her into the house and slumped down, exhausted myself, on one of the sofas in the family room. I adjusted her so that she was resting against my chest and Ali draped a blanket over her. It was just eight o'clock at night. So much had happened in the last several hours, it seemed like days had passed.

"I'm too tired to talk about everything now," I told everyone. "But you should know Renee is in custody, but I'm not sure what charges she'll be facing yet. Jane died in a car accident earlier today. The accident was likely caused by Renee somehow, but that has yet to be proven," I heard several gasps around the room and I looked up to see tears in my sister's eyes. We had all grown close to the security team, but particularly to Jane. Ali had been trying to convince her for the last couple of weeks to model for her clothing line, but Jane just laughed it off as ridiculous. She was a special person: strong, loyal, and unerringly kind at the same time. Ali sunk down on the edge of the coffee table in front of me and gripped my hand tightly as tears streamed down her flushed cheeks.

"Renee's accomplice turned out to be just some sad idiot who fell for her crap," I continued dejectedly. "He's now in police custody, but I have no idea what will happen to him. Bella's physically unharmed, but I have no idea what occurred between her and Renee while she was held captive. I'm sure she will carry emotional scars from today for many years."

We sat for what seemed like ages, the pregnant silence filling the room.

"Edward," Ali's strained voice broke the quiet. "Take her upstairs. Get some rest if you can. Do you need us to do anything? To call anyone?"

"Um, Charlie's arriving early, but Garrett has someone picking him up. Can you make sure he gets settled in the room he stayed in last time?"

"Of course, what else?"

"Can you find a doctor who will come by to check Bella over in the morning? The EMT looked her over, but I think it'd be a good idea and see if you can get her therapist to make a home visit tomorrow. I'll pay whatever she wants; I don't care what it costs."

"Alright. Go upstairs." Ali said gently. "I'll drop off some snacks and drinks for when you wake up. I'm sure she'll be hungry. Or do you want something more?"

"No, I just want to sleep. Thanks Ali. I love you."

"Love you too, big brother," she whispered.

I lifted Bella and carried her up to our room. After stripping each of us down to our underwear, I tucked her in and slid in next to her, pulling her close against my chest. I thought sleep would elude me with everything spinning wildly in my mind like a whirling dervish, but I succumbed the moment I had my love in my arms.

I awoke in the darkened room, gentle whimpers drifting up from Bella's body as she jerked and flinched in my arms. As my eyes spilt open and my sight adjusted to the pale moonlit room. The distraught expression on Bella's face tore at my heart. I couldn't imagine what she was suffering right now. For all the pain I'd known, losing each of my parents, watching my mother waste away to a shadow of herself while I was a helpless spectator, nothing could compare to the betrayal and agony she must be going through. At least I was always assured of love and support from each of my parents.

A sudden, much more violent spasm of her body followed by a fearful moan pulled me from my thoughts.

"Baby, wake up." I whispered gently, stroking her hair away from her pained face. "Love, you need to wake up. It's only a dream. You're safe." I let the volume of my voice rise slightly, but she still seemed trapped in her fitful sleep.

I shook her gently and pleaded, "Wake up, Love, you're safe here."

She turned toward me and cracked her eyes in my direction. The confusion on her face was evident as she searched my face for answers.

"You're safe, Love. I've got you," I whispered gently.

Recognition dawned on her face and I watched sadly as her eyes filled with tears and her face crumpled. She burrowed against my bare chest and sobbed quietly against me. I let her cry, gently stroking her back as she slowly quieted again. Her breathing evened out and I found her asleep again, with her cheek pressed against my chest. I had a feeling this was a pattern we'd be repeating for a while. I tightened my arms around her, desperately trying to surround her with all the love I had within me.

 **BPOV**

"Is it okay that I don't want to see her?" I asked.

"Love, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do," Edward said as he slipped on his coat. He reached for my hand and tugged me into his embrace. "She asked to see you, but you have no obligation to her. She's confessed, and she'll pay for her crimes, whether you go to see her or not. And you don't have to decide anything now. She's not going anywhere for a long, long time. If you decide at some point that you'd like to hear her out or say your piece, you'll have that option."

I nodded solemnly, knowing in my head that he was right, but my heart felt conflicted. I still couldn't believe Renee had confessed to everything she'd done. She even gave herself up on fraud and harassment that would have been difficult to prove without her confession. It was like once she got talking she couldn't help but brag about her exploits.

It had only been a week since her rampage and subsequent arrest. Just today she'd been moved from the hospital to the county jail, as soon as her doctors had assented to the transfer. The request communicated through her lawyer, for me to meet with her had both surprised and frightened me. I couldn't imagine anything good that could come from facing her again, but part of me yearned for some sense of closure. There were things I wanted to say, I just wasn't sure I was ready to say them to her yet.

My stomach was in knots as I tried to emotionally prepare for today. We were headed to Jane's memorial now and I was nervous to face Jane's family. She had given her life protecting me and I would never be able to repay her sacrifice. I felt Edward's arms tighten around me, along with that familiar surge of comfort and affection that his touch always offered me.

"You're right, thank you," I said. "Let's go. I don't want to be late."

He leaned away slightly, catching my eye. "They don't blame you, my love. You know that right? None of this is your fault."

"How can they not blame me? She died protecting me," I whispered sadly.

"She knew what she was getting into when she started working in private security. She knew there were risks. She cared about you and she wouldn't want you to burden yourself with guilt on top of everything else you're dealing with."

I sighed heavily. "Dr. Powers said something similar at our session yesterday," I admitted.

"She knows what she's talking about," he said softly.

"I know. It's easier to accept in my head than my heart though. I hate that she was a victim of Renee's crazy rampage."

"Me too, Love, me too."

~oo0O0oo~

The memorial service was held in a quaint, old church in the center of town, not far from the inn we were staying in. Jane had a large family and the pews were filled with mourners. The pastor spoke warmly about Jane and it was clear that she had been respected and admired in her small, North Carolina town. Her brother spoke briefly, but with great emotion about his little sister and the impact she'd had upon their family. Following that Jane's eleven year old niece sang a lovely hymn to honor her. It was bittersweet to bear witness to this heartfelt outpouring of grief and love. I couldn't help but feel like an unwelcome interloper, taking up precious space at the back of the crowded sanctuary.

We followed the family's invitation, joining them for a casual reception at a nearby restaurant. My heart raced and my stomach churned as I passed through the heavy wooden entry door of the steakhouse. The ever-present drumming of my pulse echoed through my head, drowning out the noise around me. I hadn't noticed the rapidity of my breathing until Edward pulled me to the side of the ornate entry room and cupped his hands gently on my face.

"Breath baby," he commanded softly. "Match your breaths to mine."

It took me a moment to do as he asked and longer still to truly slow my breathing. The lightheadedness I'd been feeling subsided and my heartrate began to normalize. Still he held my gaze with his own and led me through some more slow, measured breaths.

"Better?" he asked after a few minutes.

"Yes," I whispered. "Thank you."

"You don't have to do this if you're not ready. They'll understand with everything you've been through." He was so sweet, always trying to let me off the hook; always trying to protect me.

"I can do this," I asserted. "I need to."

With a resigned nod he slid his hands from my face and wrapped an arm around my waist. I turned to see our family waiting with concerned expressions. I smiled slightly and tried to look confident, but likely failed based upon Rose's pursed lips and glassy eyes.

The small, private dining room was overflowing with Jane's friends and family. I recognized a few of the faces from the church earlier, but I was scanning the room for two faces in particular, without success.

"I'll get us some drinks," Emmett said as we seated ourselves at one of the empty tables. Turning to me he asked, "Do you want coffee or something stronger?"

"Uh, tea if they have it. If not, water is fine please." The last thing I needed was alcohol. Later maybe, but I needed my wits about me to get through this day.

"I'll help you," Edward said, kissing the top of my head and following his brother toward the bar.

Rose slid over to occupy the chair next to me.

"Do you know what you want to say to them?" she asked.

"Not really. I just want to apologize, but it sounds so trite in light of their loss," I sighed.

"It's not trite if it's what you feel, what you want them to know. But just be prepared for anything. They've just lost a daughter. They might be angry with you, even if it's misplaced. I know Edward means well, but you're not wrong to fear their reaction. It might be ugly. He's just always so desperate to make you feel better, but I don't want you to be blindsided if things go pear-shaped."

"Thanks Ro, you're a good friend," I said.

I felt someone's gaze on me and I looked up to find a very familiar pair of blue eyes staring at me quizzically. This was without a doubt a close relative of Jane, her father I was fairly certain. Their eyes were identical, though they were framed by a very different face.

"Hello there," he said in a quiet, kind voice. His slight drawl further softening his tone.

"Hello," I responded weakly.

"Are you a friend of Jane's?" he asked.

"Um…I'm…" I took a deep, fortifying breath. Looking into his kind, curious eyes, so like Jane's, I found the courage to introduce myself. "I'm Bella Swan. Jane died protecting me. I'm so very, very sorry…." A broken sob interrupted my apology. I felt Rose support me with her arm as I leaned into her side.

The man sat down next to me and gripped my hand compassionately.

"You're Isabella?" he inquired kindly. "I'm Jane's father Matthew." He paused, allowing me a moment to calm down. "Jane was quite fond of you. She didn't talk about her work much, I don't think she was supposed to, but she did tell us a bit about you. She considered you a friend and she was proud to protect you."

"She was my friend. She was a wonderful, brave woman and I cannot tell you how sorry I am that this happened to her."

"Thank you dear. You always hope for your kids to lead long, prosperous, happy lives, but with Jane we always feared her life would be a short one. You could always count on her to be running toward danger while everyone else was running away. She was always drawn to helping people, protecting people. When her military career ended, her mother and I hoped she'd find something less hazardous to devote her life to, but that just wasn't who she was."

He smiled sadly as he mulled something over. "You know she wasn't supposed to talk about you, but she did." A slight smirk played at his lips. "She was really excited about the work you were doing. She said you were going to 'make the next great advancement in cancer research'. She was proud to be keeping you safe. She wouldn't want you to feel responsible any more than I would. She would want you to accept the gift she gave you and live each day, grateful that it is yours to live."

Tears streamed down my face and my grip on his warm hand tightened. "Thank you. I'm not sure I can promise that I will stop feeling responsible, but I'll try and I will always be grateful for her sacrifice."

He smiled warmly at me before turning to Rose, Ali and Jasper with his hand extended toward Rose. "Matthew Williams, thank you for coming."

Matthew spent some time with us, regaling us with tales of Jane's childhood. Edward and Emmett returned and at some point Jane's mother and two of her brothers joined us. They were all just as gracious and kind as Matthew had been. Before long Jane's brother Jeff was entertaining us recounting her multi-year obsession with superheroes and telling us of her many adventures as 'Queen Victory', her self-designated superheroine alter-ego. Apparently she made herself a costume and everything.

"Mom and Dad didn't try to discourage her until she was about seven or eight. That's when she got it in her head she should get more proactive about finding people or, as the case often was, animals in need of her superhero skills," Jeff explained affectionately.

"We had to draw the line when we found her trying to sneak out of the house at night in her costume. She said that's when all the bad guys were doing bad stuff so she needed to be out there in case anyone needed her," Jane's mother, Hellen continued, chuckling softly. "Before that she'd been satisfied protecting kids on the playground from bullies or helping the stray kitten we found near our house."

"But after that, we had to lay down the law and eventually she understood that some kinds of heroics were meant for grown up heroes. That's when she started thinking about the military," Matthew sighed.

There was something so cathartic about sharing these stories of Jane's life with her family. They seemed to love remembering her life and somehow, throughout the day, I found myself free of a little bit of my grief by getting to know her a little better through their memories. I was grateful to be here, that I had been accepted into their hearts and they had let me share in their private family moment like this. They had given me a sense of peace that I'm not sure I would have found easily otherwise.


End file.
